


The Sins We Commit

by Kimmimaru



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Advent Children Era (Compilation of FFVII), Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Feels, Drug Addiction, M/M, Manipulation, Mentions of Rape, Non-Graphic Smut, Planet Scar Syndrome | Geostigma, Terminal Illnesses, Turks (Compilation of FFVII), Unhealthy Relationships, emotional blackmail
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:06:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23383516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimmimaru/pseuds/Kimmimaru
Summary: It had started as an accident, or at least that's what Reno tells himself every morning.A story about guilt and atonement.
Relationships: Reno/Cloud Strife
Comments: 28
Kudos: 124





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a re-write of a story I wrote ages ago. I wanted to get back into ff7 since the remake release draws ever closer. I am exhausted so I apologise for any mistakes or clunky writing, might go back through it when I'm feeling fresher and revise it. Hope you enjoy and thank you in advance for reading.

“Where do you come from?”  
  
Reno blinks, turning his head to peer at him over his bare shoulder, “What?”  
  
Cloud's eyelids lower, hiding all but a thin streak of that electric blue, “Where are you from?” He repeats, rolling over onto his side. The covers from the bed slide from his chest, revealing scarred flesh. Reno looks away.  
  
“Why'd you wanna know?” He counters, plucking his crumpled shirt from the floor. He feels the bed creak as Cloud shifts. Probably shrugging. “You're...talkative tonight.”  
  
“Guess so.”  
  
Reno's eyes move to the empty bottle of modified hyper on the bedside table. “I'm from Midgar.” It spills from his lips without any prior permission from his brain. He blinks in surprise.  
  
“What a cliché.” Cloud huffs a soft laugh.  
  
“What and 'pretty blond mountain boy' ain't?” Reno turns on Cloud then, frowning.  
  
Cloud watches him, pupils too large, “Maybe. Your parents?”  
  
Reno sighs, “Ya'know this stuff's classified, yo?”  
  
“Does it matter anymore?” Cloud reaches out, hooking his fingers into the top of Reno's pants. He tugs and Reno follows. He falls back against the cushions and watches as Cloud leans over him. Bare chested, as naked as the day he was born. Reno licks his lips, cock twitching in the hopes of a round two.  
  
“Why're you so interested anyway?” Reno frowns up at Cloud, seeing the mako bright in his eyes. They gleam as he shrugs.  
  
“Curious.”  
  
“Man,” Reno sighs, reaching up to curl long fingers in the back of Cloud's fluffy head. He draws him down to his lips, “Curiosity killed the cat, Cloud. If I tell ya I'll have to kill ya.” He says with the hint of a teasing smirk.  
  
Cloud runs his tongue along the seam of Reno's lips, “Tell me. You know everything about me, it's only fair.”  
  
Reno laughs against Cloud's mouth, “Born and raised in Nibelheim, dad ran off somewhere, mother raises you alone...Not exactly story of the century, yo.”  
  
“Guess it's not until after I left that things got...” Cloud walks his fingers down Reno's bared chest, “Interesting, huh. So, what about you? Raised in Midgar? Where?”  
  
“Slums.” Reno mutters, pressing a kiss to Cloud's lips before pulling away, “Sector five, yo.”  
  
Cloud watches him patiently. Quiet once again.  
  
“Ma didn' want no kids. She was fifteen when she had me...” Reno smirked, “Left me in a junkyard when I was seven, yo.” Cloud's eyes widened. “My da...well, he was the fucker who raped her...didn't care 'bout either of us.”  
  
Reno watches Cloud duck his head, eyes moving to the side to stare across the dingy hotel room, “Sorry.”   
  
Reno sighs, long and slow. “Don't remember her much.” He sits up, mood effectively killed, and pulls on his shirt. The rug beneath his feet is worn and ragged as he walks across the room and grabs his jacket. He turns, looking back at Cloud who remains sprawled on the bed, sheets wrapped around him. His arm, the one that bears the stigma is resting across his flat stomach. “I'll get you some more when I can,” Reno promises and turns away, he bends and shoves on his boots before moving for the door.  
  
“Reno?”  
  
Reno halts, turning to look back over his shoulder. Cloud's lifted himself up onto one arm, eyes too bright with fever and pain, “Double the dose.” He says and Reno nods and leaves.  
  
Outside the little run down hotel Reno leans back against the wall. He pulls out his vibrating phone and flips it open. The sun beats down from on-high, warming his face as he tilts it back. “Yo,” He says into the receiver.  
  
 _Reno, where are you?  
  
_ Reno lets out a slow breath, “Old Midgar.” He answers, pushing his right hand into his pocket. “What's up, boss?”  
  
 _Rufus wants you.  
  
_ “On my way.” Reno hangs up. Pushing himself away from the wall and walking away.  
  
XXX  
  
It had started as an accident, or at least that's what Reno tells himself every morning. He went to Seventh Heaven for a drink, knowing his welcome would be fraught with tension and not giving a shit. He had entered to find the bar almost empty, Tifa behind it pouring out a drink. She greeted him with a smile, took his order and then went off to do something else. Reno sat there, nursing his drink until the doors had opened, letting in a gust of cold air. Cloud entered, his gait...off. Reno had watched him, out the corner of his eye as he plodded through the bar and to the stairs. He ignored Tifa's welcome and disappeared.  
  
After that Reno's curiosity had got the better of him. He spent more time at the bar, watching. He watched Cloud come and go, ignoring his suspicious glances. Cloud walked heavily, like a man who carried the weight of the world. His eyes were hazy, skin much more pale than usual. He looked waxy. He looked sick.   
  
Reno's discovery didn't change much until he came into the bar one day, just as they were closing for the evening. Tifa allowed him to stay, locking up and showing a level of trust in him that surprised him.   
  
The stigma starts as a fever. It progresses rapidly as it infects the blood stream, eating away at the victims immune system. The marks appear later, forming patches of black skin that slowly spread. As the victims sink deeper into despair the disease begins to rot them from the inside. Reno's seen it. He's watched countless people die from it. No matter what ShinRa does to save them, it's pointless. Reno knows that Cloud's dying.  
  
He comes in one day with the only thing Shinra can offer. A modified hyper they're giving out to the infected, it helps somewhat with the pain. It's dark outside when Reno sits down opposite Cloud at a nearby table. Cloud blinks up at him, frowning in consternation until Reno removes a vial of the mako-infused liquid from his pocket and pushes it across the table. “Drink, it'll help yo.”  
  
Giving away the fact that Reno knew Cloud was sick was his first mistake. Cloud was still strong as hell and had him crashing against the wall before Reno could blink. “Woah!” He'd cried, wincing as his back hit the wall. “Shit. Wait!”   
  
“What's your game, Turk?” Cloud hissed in his face, sweat beading his forehead even as he used his good arm to choke the breath from Reno's lungs.   
  
“Nothin'! Cloud-” Reno's voice is choked off as Cloud gets a good handful of his shirt and tightens the cloth against his throat.  
  
“Listen to me; you stay away from my family. Stop coming in here to spy for your master-”  
  
“I ain't spyin'!” Reno swears, wincing again as Cloud slowly releases his grip, he sucks in a breath of air and lifts his hands, “I just wanted to help, yo.”  
  
Cloud's frown deepens but his arm is shaking and he has no choice but to let Reno go. Reno drops back to his feet and rubs at his throat. “Why? Why do you even care?”  
  
Reno takes a moment to get his breath back before considering his answer, “You've got the geostigma.” He says, watching Cloud shift. Floorboards creak as he settles his weight, “I know because we've been...trying to help. ShinRa. We've set up at Healen, trying to find a cure.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“I know...I know you don't trust me, yo...but...we've got enough left over. Take the damn medication, man.”  
  
Cloud glances back over his shoulder then back to Reno, “What's in it?”  
  
Reno clears his throat, straightening out his jacket and brushing dust off, “It's a hyper, yo. Made out of the tails from Nibel bears and mako. They say it helps ease the pain.”  
  
Cloud licks his lips, hesitantly reaching for the bottle. He stares at it and back to Reno again.  
  
“Look, I'm not here to...poison you or whatever the fuck you think. I just wanna help.” Reno gives him his best honest expression, although it doesn't seem to work as Cloud's nose just wrinkles. “Trust me, yo.”  
  
And that's how it starts. Reno begins skimming some surplus product from ShinRa's stores and giving them to Cloud.   
  
“This stuff's addictive, yo. Be careful.” Reno says the second or third time they meet. He watches Cloud down the liquid and breathe a sigh of relief. It's dark out, a fitting reflection of the dodgy business they're doing. Reno's eyes happen to catch Cloud's throat as it works, exposed by the collar of his zip-up top.   
  
“It...helps.” Cloud replies after a moment, opening those intense blue eyes.   
  
They're in an alley behind the bar, hidden from prying eyes. Reno's used to working in the shadows, he's been here before but something feels different. Wrong. He shifts, watching Cloud lean back against the wall, shoulders heavy and head low. Fluffy spikes of blond hang into his face and hide his expression. Reno blows out some air from his lungs, turning his head away. “Well, I'd better-”  
  
“Reno?”  
  
Reno halts, turning back to Cloud. “What?”  
  
“There's a catch.” Cloud says slowly, voice thick and eyes glowing in the gloom.   
  
“No catch, yo. Jus' trying to help out.”  
  
Cloud moves closer, still as graceful as a cat. Reno doesn't balk but his fight or flight kicks in and his hand drops to his side, itching for the heavy feel of his mag rod. “C-Cloud?”   
  
“If I've learned anything it's that the Turks don't do anything for free.” Cloud says, close enough now that Reno can feel his breath on his skin.  
  
“Uh...”   
  


Cloud's mouth presses against his own and he can't help his response. He pushes Cloud up against the wall, one hand braced against his hip and the other tangling in his hair. He bites at Cloud's plush lower lip, groaning as he does so. Reno knows it's dangerous, even as he lets Cloud's gloved hands slide up beneath his untucked shirt. He knows but he's always kind of liked danger. When Cloud grinds up against him he's lost.  
  
Cloud sinking to his knees is a sight that'll haunt Reno until his dying days. Cloud's fingers work on his shirt buttons, shaking as he tries to get it undone until Reno reaches down and helps. When it's open, exposing even more of his chest Cloud runs his hand down the long plain of his stomach, pausing at a vicious, diagonal scar. Cloud's brows draw down into a frown, his gloved finger tips trace it's edges. Reno watches him from beneath the fall of his hair, lips parted. Reno reaches down and grabs a handful of Cloud's hair, pulling his face close to his stomach. Cloud's tongue is hot against his cool skin, Reno tilts his head back with a sigh.

Cloud mouths at Reno's clothed cock, feeling out the shape of him through two layers of fabric. Reno groans, fingers tightening on Cloud's hair and pressing into that mouth eagerly. “Shit.” He gasps, watching Cloud bite down on the zipper of his trousers and pull it down. Cloud's hands clumsily undo his belt and then finally he's free. The relief is short-lived as a super-heated mouth finds hard flesh. Reno curses under his breath, gasping in air. His hands tighten on Cloud's hair and he pulls him away, gazing into hazy blue eyes.   
  
It doesn't take much before Reno's coming down Cloud's throat. He stills a moment, catching his breath until finally they untangle themselves. Cloud lifts one shaking hand and wipes his mouth on the back of his hand, eyes sliding away from Reno. His face is flushed and he's panting. “I kinda like having you on your knees like this, yo.” Reno croaks, zipping himself up and watching Cloud climb unsteadily to his feet.   
  
That's the beginning of their secret rendezvous. Reno knows that it's wrong, that taking advantage of a sick man is cruel but he can't stop. For too long those blue, blue eyes have haunted his dreams.  
  
XXX  
  
“Where have you been?” Elena asks, looking up from her phone as Reno walks in through the door. She's sat curled up on the old sofa, feet tucked neatly beneath her.  
  
“Out.” Reno sighs, rolling his shoulders.  
  
Elena sniffs before going back to her messages. Reno stalks past her, through what they call the living room and down a short hall way. He comes to a door and is about to knock when it opens to reveal Tseng. He pauses, door half-way open and looks Reno up and down. “Reno,” He says, pulling the door further open and stepping out. “When did you change your aftershave?” Tseng asks, one eyebrow rising towards his hair line.  
  
Reno shifts, clearing his throat, “The president wanted to see me, yo?” Avoiding eye contact.  
  
Tseng smirks knowingly, eyes landing on the dark marks on his throat, “Yes. He's waiting.” Tseng steps aside and let's Reno past. As Reno reaches for the door Tseng stops him, “Reno? I hope you know what you're doing.”  
  
Reno looks back over his shoulder, “So do I, yo.” He mutters before going in to see his president.  
  
“Reno,” Rufus is sat at the window, early evening light spilling across the floor. He turns his head, bandages glistening and pristine.  
  
“Sir,”  
  
“Tell me...how are Cloud and his friends?” Rufus turns back to the scenery, one hand tapping a slow rhythm on the arm of his wheelchair.   
  
“I-uh-” Reno's cut off as the door opens once again and a man in a white coat and self-important air enters.  
  
“Time for your medicine Mr. President.”   
  
“That time already?” Rufus hums as the doctor strides across the room with a clinking bottle. Reno watches him, eyes boring holes into his back. His fingers twitch in agitation, EMR sliding into his palm. “Reno,” Rufus warns and Reno huffs, shifting his weight onto his hip. “Tell me about Cloud.”  
  
Reno looks across the room, glaring at a painting of some yellow flowers, “Not a lot to say, yo. They don't trust me but I'm workin' on it. Tifa's been easier.”  
  
“Any sign of the others?” Rufus takes his medicine with a small wince and hands the bottle back to the doctor.   
  
“Not yet, sir. Intel says that Barrett's still up at Corel, looking for oil. The kids are with Tifa at the bar. Last we heard Cid's running goods all over the world for a price, Yuffie's been off the radar since they all went their separate ways. Vincent...we can't track him, yo. He's a ghost. And the beast...he's been wondering around, doesn't really seem to do much at all whenever he's spotted.”  
  
“I need to check your bandages, sir.” The doctor says, cutting in on the report. He keeps his back to the Turk but is obviously nervous. Reno moves a few steps closer, boots silent on the rug. He has a decent view as the doctor begins unravelling Rufus' bandages, Reno sucks in air through his teeth as the dark marks are revealed. Like bruises they're spread across his forehead right to his temple.   
  
Rufus huffs dark laughter, “Is it that bad?” He asks, eyeing Reno across the room. Pinning him in place.  
  
“Looks pretty bad sir.” Reno answers.  
  
Rufus smiles, “At least you're honest.”   
  
“We're still no further in our research.” The doctor says, hesitating briefly before re-wrapping the bandages.   
  
“What can we do? I need results soon, doctor.”  
  
The man sighs, straightening up. He has the same hazy tint in his eyes that haunts Cloud's. His hands shake a little as he fiddles with something in his pocket, “We need subjects.” He admits slowly, reluctantly, “Someone with the stigma.”  
  
Reno hides his disgust as well as he can but he catches his presidents eye. Rufus tilts his head, “Reno, what do you think?”  
  
“I think we should get rid of this mother fucker, sir.” He points his EMR at the doctor who backs off, eyes wide in sudden panic. “Toss him off a fucking cliff like we did Corneo.”  
  
“If we do that then there would be no one to work on a cure,” Rufus sighs, “Doctor, my father agreed to support human experimentation to his own detriment. I won't make the same mistakes he did.”  
  
“S-Sir, there's no other way. If we wish to find a cure before your stigma progresses beyond the point of no return we have to have a live subject. Preferably someone with the Sephiroth-Jenova genes.”  
  
“Why? I thought we were gonna do better, yo.” Reno glances from the doctor to Rufus and back again.  
  
“Because we believe that the stigma has some connection to _him_.” Rufus answers coolly. “The nightmare.”  
  
“Is that why you got me watching Cloud, yo?”  
  
“Partly. So far he is the only one who can possibly help us. I would much rather he do so willingly, I want to avoid a fight. Gain his trust and bring him in, Reno.”  
  
Reno swallows, hand dropping to his side, “Yes sir,” He says.  
  
“You're dismissed. Go clean up and get some rest.” Rufus sighs as the doctor finishes and leaves the room. Reno glances back at him as he follows the doctor to the door, watching Rufus' hand shake almost imperceptibly. Reno tears his eyes and frowns as he goes to the door and leaves.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I am extremely bored. Is it obvious? Anyway, couldn't sleep last night so I wrote instead and now I'm updating it because why not. Please enjoy and my updates are usually irregular, I go through phases and real life naturally sometimes gets in the way so don't know when the next update will be. Enjoy and as always thank you all for reading.

The old church is oppressive. Heavy. Reno's footsteps sound much too loud in the dusty silence. Light filters down through the gaping hole in the roof, dust particles dance in the beams. Reno moves further in, the smell of the flowers almost overwhelming. He turns his head, catching sight of a box and an empty bed roll. He comes to a halt just a step before the flowers, rocking back on his heels as he taps his EMR against his shoulder.   
  
“Hello?” He calls, his voice echoing back to him. A shiver runs down his spine and he turns to glance back over his shoulder. Tifa had told him Cloud would be here, but he obviously missed him. He takes a step forward, his boot crunching against something soft. He jumps back, staring at the single crushed flower. “Aw, man...” He rubs at the back of his head and sighs. He steps back, looking up at the sky through the hole.   
  
A creak from somewhere behind him causes him to turn, EMR swinging down to point at the intruder. Sparks crackle down it's length as Reno freezes just before slamming the tip into whoever was sneaking up behind him.   
  
Cloud stares at him, face placid but one hand curled around his sword hilt. “Tifa told you I was here?” He asks, unfazed by Reno's EMR. He reaches out and pushes it aside, walking past and bumping Reno with his shoulder.  
  
“Yeah, she did.” Reno brings his EMR back to his shoulder, eyes dropping to Cloud's ass as he walks to stand beside the flowers. “You living here now?” Cloud shrugs, turning away. “Place makes me kinda jumpy.” He finds a pillar to lean against.  
  
“It...reminds me of her.” Cloud replies, looking down at the flower bed at his feet.  
  
“I used to come here a lot.” Reno pushes himself away from the pillar and moves to Cloud's side. He throws himself to the floor in an inelegant sprawl.  
  
“What, to capture her?” Cloud snorts humourlessly, fingers reaching out to brush the petals of a nearby flower.  
  
“No, man.” Reno sighs, “To watch her. That's all we were told to do...at first.” He eyes Cloud, head tilted, “We're not what you think.”  
  
“Who?”  
  
“The Turks.”  
  
“Not murderers? Spies?” Cloud dismisses him with a shake of his head, “I know what you are.”  
  
Reno looks back down at his boots, at the flowers swaying in the wind, “Orphans, most of us. Picked up by ShinRa because we had...special talents and nowhere safe to hide.” He plucks some lint off of his trousers and leans back on his hands to gaze up through the hole in the ceiling. “For most of us, ShinRa raised us. Our whole lives are the company.”  
  
“So, that's you're excuse? You're victims too?”   
  
“No. You were right, we're murderers and spies, yo. There's just more to us than that. We're not the evil monsters you like to think we are. We're family.”  
  
“Family, huh?” Cloud turns away, sitting down at Reno's side and lowering his head. “I thought I...knew what that meant.”  
  
“We're tryin', yo. We're tryin' to do the right thing now...you just...gotta give us a chance.”  
  
“Why are you doing this, Reno? Really.”  
  
“Because I wanna help. Is that so hard to accept?” Reno reaches into his jacket and produces another hyper. He sets it on the ground between them; a peace offering. “We got doctors workin' on a cure.”  
  
“There is no cure.” Cloud picks up the vial and uncaps it. He swallows it and shivers, head dropping to touch his knees. “This is retribution.”  
  
“If that was true, why don't I have it? Or Tseng? Or Elena? Or Rude?” Reno shakes his head, huffing as he drops backwards and tucks both hands beneath his head, “It's not the planet, yo. We know that much.”  
  
“Not...the planet?”  
  
Reno turns, looking at what little he can see of Cloud's face. His lips are parted, panting heavily as he deals with the pain and waits for the hyper to kick in. “You know what it is. You don't need me or some ShinRa scientist to tell you.”  
  
Cloud finally lifts his head, eyes flashing green, “It's not-”  
  
“You know I'm right, yo.”  
  
Cloud looks away, frowning back over the flowers. Reno sighs, closing his eyes and enjoying the last rays of sunlight before they're swallowed up by the ruins of Midgar as the sun goes down. “We could find a cure, you know.” He says, eyes still closed. He draws his legs up, crossing one leg over the opposite knee and bounces his foot. “We're pretty close.”  
  
Cloud shifts, Reno can hear the clink of belt buckles and sword harness. “What...do you mean?”  
  
“Exactly what I say, yo. We're close to findin' a cure.” Reno waits. Foot bouncing. Keeping his body deliberately relaxed and as unthreatening as possible.  
  
“You're lying.” Cloud rises, moving away from Reno.  
  
“I'm _not_.” Reno sits up, watching him go. “Cloud!”  
  
“Just...get outta here, Reno.”  
  
Reno watches Cloud disappear out the doors and sighs, cursing under his breath as he rises. Before he leaves he bends, plucking one of the flowers by it's stem.  
  
XXX  
  
Tseng returns to his office, hands full of papers. It's a small room, books lining the shelves, a desk and a simple chair behind it. He moves to the desk and sets down his burden, glancing to the side where he spots a pure white lily lying beside his paper weight. He reaches out, picking it up and staring into it's centre. “He's at the Church?” He asks the figure standing in the corner, leaning against a shelf.  
  
“Her church, yeah.” Reno moves into the light from the lamp and rests his hip against the edge of the desk, causing papers to shift.  
  
Tseng looks up at him, still clutching the flower, “And?”  
  
“He's not gonna join us, yo.” Reno sighs, shaking his head. “I've been workin' him for weeks and he's still acting like we're gonna kill his grandma.”  
  
Tseng turns the flower between his thumb and forefinger, eyes dark and face expressionless. “Keep trying. He's all we have. His distrust is understandable but if we don't bring him over we'll never find that cure.”  
  
Reno turns, looking out of Tseng's tiny window, remembering when he could see the entirety of Midgar's upper plates from Tseng's old office. “You sure we're doing the right thing, yo?”  
  
Tseng shrugs, “A cure would save potentially thousands of lives.” He pauses, rubbing the satiny petals between his fingers before speaking again, “I'm taking Elena back up to the northern crater.”  
  
Reno tenses, “What?”  
  
“The doctor says that maybe if we have what's left of Jenova-”  
  
“You're serious? Boss-”  
  
“An order is an order, Reno.” Tseng lets his hand fall back to his side, fixing Reno with a hard stare, “We're leaving tomorrow, be ready with a chopper.” Reno hears the dismissal in Tseng's tone but hesitates, mouth opening but Tseng cuts him off. “ _Reno_.”  
  
Reno's shoulder's drop and he sighs, “Yeah, yeah.” He sighs and moves to the door, “See you tomorrow then boss.”  
  
He returns to his room. It's dark inside but he doesn't turn on the light as he slips through the door and sheds his jacket, he tosses it over the back of a nearby chair and turns to the twin beds. Rude's already lying on one, snoring. Reno watches his partner's chest rise and fall a moment before stripping down to his shorts and throwing himself on top of the covers. He tucks one arm beneath his head, turning to face out the small window. Moonlight creeps in, turning everything silver. Reno closes his eyes with a sigh.  
  
XXX  
  
 _Reno, the chopper.  
  
_ “Yeah, yeah,” Reno sighs, adjusting his grip on the cyclic and turning the bird around. He drops altitude and sinks below the heavy, swirling fog. For a moment visibility is nil. He adjusts, using his instruments to navigate until the fog clears enough for him to hover in place and drop a ladder. He turns as Tseng and Elena scramble on board, Tseng gripping something stuffed inside a plastic bag. Reno shivers, tearing his eyes away.  
  
“Let's go.” Tseng orders, pulling the doors shut as Reno gets the chopper back off the ground.  
  
Elena eyes the bag warily, shifting away from it. “Sir, we were watched.” She mutters.  
  
“I know.” Tseng tips his head back and closes his eyes, arms folded across his chest.   
  
“By who?” Reno asks, eyes moving over his equipment as he flicks a switch.  
  
“I don't know but perhaps it would be safer to watch our backs from now on.” Tseng admits, lowering his head to look at the thing between his feet.   
  
“I don't like it.” Elena whispers, pulling her feet away as the helicopter banks sharply and the bag slides towards her leaving a disgusting greenish smear across the metal.   
  
“You found it, boss?”  
  
“Yes. Well, we found it's head.” He nudges the bag with the toe of his boot.  
  
“It's not pretty.” Elena says, craning her neck to peer at Reno around his seat.  
  
“We had better get back before it defrosts.”   
  
XXX  
  
They get back to Healen and take the remnants of Jenova to the doctor. The man's inside a building he's commandeered as his own. It's decked out like a doctor's office, the scent of disinfectant heavy in the air. He's sat at a small table, eye pressed to a microscope. When the door opens he looks up, his complexion is grey, bags hanging beneath his eyes. “Did you-”  
  
Tseng walks in, dumping a box onto his desk. He puts his hand on it and meets the doctor's eyes, “We found it.” He says.  
  
The doctor shivers, eyes wide as they fixate on the box. He moves to grab it, greedy hands darting out but is stopped by Reno's EMR tapping his knuckles. The doctor jerks back in surprise, rubbing his hands, “Do you remember our deal, doctor?” Tseng asks, hands remaining on the box.  
  
“Y-Yes...yes of course.”  
  
“A cure. That's what we want, nothing else.” Tseng arches an expectant eyebrow awaiting the doctors reply.  
  
The doctor looks back at the box and groans, “Alright. Alright. Fine, a cure.”  
  
“Good.” Tseng finally releases the box and the doctor grabs for it unimpeded. “If we hear one word that you're not doing exactly as we say judgement will be swift.”  
  
Reno slouches towards the door, casting a smirk over his shoulder at the doctor as Tseng leaves, “You remember who you're dealin' with, yo and we'll get along _juust_ fine.”  
  
XXX  
  
The coffee pot gurgles as Reno stares at it, slumped against the counter top. He taps his fingers against the wood and sighs, watching dark liquid drip. Floor boards creak and he lifts his head, turning to see Rude exit the presidents rooms. “How is he?” Reno asks, straightening himself out. Rude shrugs. “I'm goin' back to Seventh Heaven later, if you wanna join me, yo.” Reno pauses, sending a sly glance at his partner as Rude takes a seat on the sofa and picks up an old magazine. Leafing through it absently. “Tifa'll be there,” Reno wheedles, sliding over to Rude and standing over him.  
  
Rude looks up over the top of his sunglasses, “This isn't a two man job, Reno.”  
  
Reno sighs, slumping and throws himself down beside Rude. “I know, just having some company would be nice ya'know?”  
  
“Your coffee's done.” Rude nods at the machine and returns to his magazine.  
  
XXX  
  
Reno returns to the bar alone. He sits down and is greeted by Tifa's smile, “What can I get you?” She asks, wiping down the counter top with a damp cloth.  
  
“The usual,” Reno replies, leaning on one hand as he searches the near-empty bar. “Quiet night, huh?”  
  
Tifa looks up, “Yeah. It's been like this since the Stigma, people are afraid.” She shrugs and hands Reno a bottle.  
  
Reno thanks her and takes it, sipping, “Cloud around?”  
  
Tifa hesitates, her face falling. After a second she shakes her head, “No. He's...out.”  
  
“Oh, well if you-” Reno's cut off as footsteps echo from above. He looks to the stairs just as two children fly down them and come careening around the corner.  
  
“Marlene! Denzel!” Tifa scolds, dropping her cloth and moving out from behind the bar, “What are you doing up?”  
  
“Denzel had a nightmare.” Marlene says, pouting. “He said he wanted to see if Cloud was home.”  
  
Reno watches from the corner of his eye, listening.  
  
Tifa sighs and crouches before the boy, taking his hands in her own. She sweeps his hair from his forehead to reveal the now familiar dark patches of the stigma. “Cloud's...busy.” She says, “He'll be back soon, I'm sure.”  
  
Denzel looks over her shoulder to Reno, the only other patron. He blinks, a small frown creasing his brows as he notes the suit. “When'll he be back?” He asks, returning his gaze to Tifa.  
  
Tifa sighs again, “I don't know. I'm sorry. Come on, let's get you back to bed.” She rises and takes the children up the stairs. Reno's eyes following her.  
  
Reno waits and Tifa finally returns, she goes back behind the bar and starts cleaning bottles. “Who's the new kid?” He asks, tilting his head to the side.  
  
“Oh...That's Denzel.” Tifa smiles, holding a bottle in her hands. She looks down at it, her smile fading, “His parents were killed in sector seven.”  
  
Reno slowly puts the nearly empty bottle back on the bar top and watches droplets of condensation trickle down the side. He feels Tifa's eyes on him, dark, contemplating. Reno finally meets her gaze, “So, you takin' in orphan's now, huh?”  
  
She shrugs, “Denzel's special.” She says, returning the bottle to it's shelf.   
  
“He's sick, yo.”  
  
She nods, humming, “Yes.”   
  
Reno takes a breath and finishes his drink, “Thanks for the booze,” he says and tosses her some money before rising and moving to the door, “If you see Cloud, tell him I'm looking for him.”  
  
Tifa nods and watches him leave.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am on a roll with this fic. Really getting back into the characters now. Hope everyone's enjoying as things begin to heat up, thank you all so much for your interest.

Reno and Rude park one of the few remaining working vehicles just outside what's left of the old ShinRa HQ. Rude turns the engine off and opens his door while Reno steps out into the street. They both look up, eyeing the mess meteor and weapon had made of their old home. Reno sighs, turning his head to Rude, “Shall we?” He asks, waving a hand towards the building. Rude nods and together they move towards the old hangars, surprisingly mostly in tact. “What's Rufus want with more helicopters, anyway?” Reno asks, shoving debris out of his way and sending it crashing to the side of the path they're clearing.  
  
“We gotta get around somehow.” Rude replies, grunting as he lifts a particularly heavy girder and throws that aside. “The more transport we have the easier it'll be to ship the sick to Healen.”  
  
Reno is the first to reach the closest hangar, scrambling nimbly over twisted chunks of metal and concrete. He stands on the top of the pile and peers in through the bent metal doors. “It's bad in there, yo.”  
  
“What do you see?” Rude follows at a much more sedate pace.  
  
“Uhh...not much. Just scrap.” Reno ducks back out of the hangar door and rubs at his head, “Next one?”  
  
“Hangar three.” Rude nods to the hangar with the least damage.  
  
Reno hops down from his perch and waves Rude on. Together they weave their way through trash until they reach the third hangar. The door is closed and mostly in tact. “Looks hopeful, yo.” Reno bends, digging his fingers underneath the door and heaves. Rude joins him after he struggles for a few moments. Together they get the doors open enough for them to duck through. Rude turns on a torch and shines it around, apart from a gash in the ceiling it's dark and quiet. “Two.” Reno counts, hands on hips, a smear of dust on one cheek. He glances at Rude who nods. Reno walks to the nearest helicopter, running his hands over it, “Oh baby, you're _beautiful_.” He murmurs, admiring her dusty exterior. He clambers up to her roof, checking out the propellers for damage. “She's got a few nicks in her blades, yo but with a bit of work she'll be good as new.” Reno runs his hands along sharp metal, sighing.  
  
Rude ignores Reno's cooing and stands by the door, looking at a few stacks of boxes. As he's there he hears light footsteps. Rude goes still, frowning and straining his ears. The footsteps draw closer. Someone whispers something and then there's a click and the footsteps run away. “Reno...”   
  
“Aw, look at that yo! This is one of Scarlet's old projects...” Reno bounces excitedly around the chopper, admiring her from various angles. “Top of the range nav systems, tandem cockpit and...ooohhh...that's too sexy...” Reno scrambles half-inside the cockpit and peers at the interior. “The power in these-”  
  
“Reno!” Rude's sharp voice is all the warning Reno gets. He pulls his head out of cockpit just as Rude turns, “GET DOWN!” He shouts as the doors to the hangar explode inward.   
  
Something hard smashes into Reno's side, sending him flying back against the opposite wall. The air's driven from his lungs. His head smashes against the concrete hard enough that stars burst across his vision. He tastes blood as he drops to the floor.   
  
Reno's ears ring. His head spins. The world takes on a red tinge as he lies still and blinks up at the ceiling. His breath comes in short, sharp pants that cause agony to sear his left side. After a moment he struggles out from underneath a sheet of metal. He sways in place, stunned. “R-Rude...?” He croaks, wincing in the light that now spills in through a gaping hole in the wall. “Partner?” Reno turns, spitting blood to the floor. He reaches up, touching the back of his head, as he pulls his fingers away he sees blood coating them. With a groan he attempts to gain his feet. His ribs scream in protest as he struggles. Coughing in the dust saturating the air Reno looks around, the helicopter is little more than scrap metal, devastated by the blast that should have killed Reno. He lifts an arm, wiping his bloodied lips as he searches the floor for any sign of Rude. He sways, stumbling around remnants of the doors and helicopter. Finally, over the ringing in his ears, he hears a groan. “Rude, yo...you there?”  
  
“Ugh...'m here.”  
  
Reno stumbles into a piece of the door, wincing as his ribs twinge. He scrambles with difficulty over a concrete block to find Rude sat on his backside, clutching his head. “You...ok, partner?” He gasps, arm curled around his aching side.  
  
Rude eyes him, glasses missing, “Could be better.”  
  
“Think I bruised some...ribs but the chopper took...most of the impact. What the hell... _was_ that, yo?” Reno keeps his breath shallow, taking in too much air only aggravates his wounds.  
  
“Don't know.” Rude tries to stand but grunts, falling back against a block of rubble. “Damn. My ankle.”  
  
“Damn.” Reno agrees, leaning beside his partner and tilting his head back. “Gimme a sec an'...I guess I'll have to help...you back to the car.”  
  
Rude sighs unhappily.   
  
It takes them much longer to get back to Healen than it had on the way out. Reno helps Rude up the long wooden stairs before finally collapsing against the balcony railings. Rude leans against the wall while Reno pants, sucking in air like a dying man as he clutches his ribs. Finally Reno gathers himself for long enough to slip back under Rude's arm and help him through the door.

Tseng's there to greet them as they stumble in through the door. Dusty, bloodied and dizzy. He sweeps them with his eyes, “Any idea who it was?” He asks, watching Reno drop onto the sofa, muffling a grunt of pain with his eyes squeezed shut.  
  
“Didn't see anyone but heard some laughter. Sounded like a kid.” Rude answers, sitting down beside his partner and forcing him to sit upright so he can take a look at the damage. Reno struggles away, shaking his head.   
  
“Kids? How would a kid know how to put together a bomb?”  
  
Rude pushes down Reno's hands and pulls his jacket off, ignoring Reno's groan. “Not sure, boss. I heard what I heard.” Tseng frowns as Rude finally manages to corral Reno enough to get his shirt off and assess the damage. “Bruised. Not broken.” Rude says, pulling back. Satisfied.  
  
Tseng tosses a green ball at Rude who catches it, eyebrows rising in surprise. He holds it, turning it back and forth, “Mastered restore materia.” Tseng answers the unasked question, “Use it. It'll help with the pain if nothing else.”  
  
The relief for Reno comes with a familiar tingle. Energy rushing through his veins, a brief flare of static before finally it eases. Reno lets out a long drawn out sigh and relaxes back into the sofa.  
  
“We need to be more careful.” Tseng's saying when Reno comes around enough to tune back into the conversation. He's leaning against a side table, eyes far away, already making future plans. The sunlight turns his dark hair almost blue as it slides gracefully over his shoulder. “We're being watched. Followed. Elena's out tonight but we lack the man power for a proper perimeter patrol. Our main objective is to protect the president, for now we'll pull back to this building. It will leave the supplies and the sick vulnerable but I believe the only real targets are us. I'll have the good doctor relocated here where we can better watch him. Rude, I want you to arrange some mercenary help, offer them whatever they want and have them set up regular patrols around the lodge. Reno, rest up, I want you with Cloud. I'll call you when it's time.”  
  
“Yes sir,” Rude says for them both. Tseng nods and leaves to check on Rufus.  
  
XXX  
  
When Cloud gets Reno's shirt off two days later he pauses. Staring at the ugly pattern of bruises scattering Reno's side and back. He reaches out, tracing them with fingers bare of gloves, callouses catching on Reno's skin. Cloud lifts his blue eyes up to Reno's, a question hidden in their mako-drenched depths.   
  
“Someone tried to turn us into barbecue,” Reno answers, wincing when Cloud's finger tips dig into the bruises. He hisses, allowing Cloud to push him back across the wooden floor of the church. Cloud's bedroll catches on the backs of Reno's boots and he topples back onto his ass, the thud as he hits the floor jarring his bruised ribs. “Ah shit.”   
  
Cloud settles himself in Reno's lap, close enough that Reno can feel his hair tickle his chin. “What was it?” Cloud asks, hand resting a little too firmly against Reno's side as he admires the yellow and purple splotches.   
  
“Bomb. Rude managed to recover some of it...home made.” Reno shudders, Cloud's lips finding his pulse point and small, sharp teeth digging into flesh. Reno grabs Cloud's hips, yanking him closer. “We...ah...don't know who...” Reno closes his eyes, letting Cloud's hands tangle in his hair and use his pony tail to yank his head back to expose more of his neck.  
  
“Does it matter? Plenty of people have grudges against Shinra.” Cloud replies, voice muffled in Reno's skin. He takes a deep breath, pulling away to get at Reno's mouth. “People remember what you did. How could they forget?”  
  
Reno pulls away, staring into Cloud's eyes, “Man, you are _such_ a hypocrite.” He scoffs, pushing Cloud back enough to see his frown.   
  
“What?” Cloud blinks, big eyes, soft, soft hair and pretty pink lips. He looks like a doll, made of clay with glass eyes. Perfect. Too perfect.  
  
“What? You forget?” Reno taunts, tracing Cloud's bottom lip with his thumb, “You're the one who blew up reactors. Do you know how many people died, Cloud? There were hundreds of workers, soldiers, scientists. Not to mention the civilians who got caught up in the blasts. You and your friends rampaged through Midgar, thinkin' you were in the right. You act so high and mighty, like your hands aren't coated in just as much blood as mine are.”  
  
Cloud shakes his head, “I know what we did.” He admits, lowering his head and turning away.  
  
It's a kind of torture what they do to each other. In these quiet moments, alone with nothing but the sounds of their breaths and the breeze curling through the lilies. The back and forth, the words whispered against sweat-slick skin. An incessant search for one another's weakest points just so that they can tear open barely healed wounds. Reno knows why he's doing it, he knows what the job entails but sometimes...sometimes it's hard to remember.   
  
Cloud's sick. He's dying. He's stuck on a twisted, masochistic quest to hurt himself as much as possible before his inevitable demise. He wants to go out quietly; avoiding the questions and the tears of loved ones.   
  
Reno doesn't get it but he doesn't hold back from twisting the knife in even further. “You're as guilty as I am for what happened,” Reno gasps into Cloud's eager, open mouth. “You're the one who...” He winces as Cloud grinds up against him, feeling the press of his cock through layers of thick cloth. “...who gave Sephiroth the damn materia.” Reno pulls away, taking his turn to leave marks across Cloud's delicate skin. He bites down on his shoulder when he manages to get his top open enough. “You're the one who just gave up. Because of you...the world was nearly destroyed, yo.”  
  
Cloud groans, fingers scrabbling between them to get at Reno's cock. Slick with sweat, sliding against the zipper. He has a smear of blood on his lower lip from Reno's incisor, he licks it away with barely a pause. “Maybe.” He says, pausing to meet Reno's gaze, “At least we didn't drop an entire plate on a bunch of innocent people.”  
  
Reno swallows, managing a shaky laugh. There's no humour in it. He grabs Cloud's hip, shoving him off and back onto the dusty floor, he crouches over him, yanking his zip down and pushing aside his top to reveal his chest. Reno's fingers trace the now familiar scar right in the centre. A permanent reminder of the man who'd almost destroyed everything. Reno bends and presses his tongue to it, biting harshly and listening to Cloud grunt. Hands find his hair once again, pulling hard enough to snap the band tying it back. “I saw you...” Reno swallows, looking up at Cloud through his fringe, “I saw you when Hojo pulled you out of the reactor.” Cloud freezes, gazing down at him with wide eyes. “Oh yeah, we were there.” Reno offers him a smirk, head tilting, “You were so small...a kid. No one really believed you'd taken down Sephiroth alone, who would?” Reno digs his nails into Cloud's sides, admiring the flush staining his cheeks. It's the first sign of colour he's had for a while. “We all thought it was Zack.” Cloud physically flinches at that name, turning his head away. “You remember him, yo? Guy was ok. Made a lotta friends.”   
  
Cloud frowns, brows creasing and mouth turning down at the corner, “I...”  
  
Reno can't find the usual satisfaction he feels in getting one over on someone, he frowns and traces absent patterns across Cloud's heaving chest. “I liked him, yo.” He says quietly.  
  
Cloud finally turns to look up at him, “I barely remember him.” He replies slowly, “I know...he was a friend but it feels like someone else's life. Back then I was...a different person.” Cloud sits up, bringing their faces close, he cups Reno's face in his hand and runs his thumb over one of the red marks beneath his eye. Their next kiss is slower. Reno takes the time to explore Cloud's mouth as he sheds his clothes, item by item until he's just in his dress shirt. It hangs from his shoulders as he hovers over Cloud, listening to his quiet breaths.   
  
Afterwards Cloud lies still at his side, curled up around his arm. Reno lies beside him, trousers unbuttoned as he stares up through the hole in the ceiling at the night sky. His phone vibrates, slowly he reaches for it and flips it open, “Yo,” He says, voice hoarse.  
  
 _Reno, are you with Cloud?  
  
_ Reno looks over to Cloud who's frowning in his sleep. He wonders what he looks like when he smiles, really smiles. He pulls his eyes away, “Yeah. He's here.”  
  
 _It's time. Bring him in.  
  
_ Reno hangs up and sighs, eyes closing briefly before he sits up and grabs his jacket. He finds the hypo and sedative in his inside pocket and looks back at Cloud. “Sorry.” He mutters before jabbing the needle into Cloud's vulnerable neck.  
  
XXX  
  
When Tseng arrives with a small team of grunts Reno's sat beside Cloud, one knee drawn up to his chest. He looks up when the team enters with a stretcher. Tseng hovers by the door, eyes lingering on the flowers. “Did he put up much of a fight?”  
  
Reno glances to Cloud's unconscious form as the grunts heave him onto the stretcher, “He was asleep.” He says and rises, brushing down his pants and snatching up his jacket. Tseng makes a soft sound in acknowledgement.  
  
“The doctor has everything he needs now. We just have to wait.”  
  
“Can he really do it? How can there be a cure for something like this?” Reno waves his hand at Cloud as the grunts shuffle him through the church doors.  
  
Tseng watches Reno, reading him, “Perhaps but the risk is worth it, isn't it?”  
  
Reno watches Cloud taken away and shakes his head, “I'm...not so sure anymore, boss.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hullo friends! Another chappy. Please enjoy and thank you to everyone who's kudos'd and reviewed I really appreciate the time you take to do that and it encourages me to write more. :) Enjoy this one.

Reno hears a groan from Cloud as he stirs. He's lying on a single mattress in one of the many warehouses surrounding Healen Lodge. He moves closer, leaning over his captive as Cloud's pale brows draw down into a frown. His lips press tight as his eyes flicker open. They close again briefly before springing open again. Before Reno can do anything Cloud sits up, smashing his forehead into the bridge of Reno's nose. Reno feels the grind of cartilage, his hands fly up to cup his nose as blood spatters his shirt. He gasps, jerking back with a thick curse.  
  
“Wha-” Cloud mutters, voice heavy as he licks his lips and puts a hand to his head. “Where...am I?” He lifts his head to look around.  
  
Reno stems his bleeding nose with his sleeve, glaring at Cloud, “You nearly broke my fuckin' nose, yo!”   
  
Cloud blinks at him, slow. “Reno?” He moves again, this time accompanied by the sound of metal against wood. He looks down at his ankle, fingers grabbing at the thick manacle around his leg. “What? What's...happening?” He looks back up to Reno realisation dawning in his face. It twists, anger turning his eyes green. “ _Reno_!” He spits, lurching unsteadily to his feet and lunging. The chain snaps taught and sends him crashing back to the floor with a thud. “You _asshole_!”  
  
Reno takes some time to clean as much blood from his face as possible before answering, “What did you think I was doin', Cloud?”  
  
Cloud growls, seemingly unable to come up with a decent retort.  
  
Reno meets his glare, lifting his chin as haughtily as possible given his sprawl and bloodied uniform, “I'm a Turk.” He says, ignoring the strange clenching in his chest. “It was a _job_ , yo.”  
  
“Why?! Why would you-”  
  
“Because we need you, yo. We need you and you were too damn stubborn to come over on your own.”  
  
Cloud watches Reno from under his lashes, his hands sitting limp in his lap. “Why am I so important all of a sudden? We were enemies once.”  
  
Reno sniffs, shifting into a more comfortable seated position and cocking his head, “Once.” He agrees, watchful, wary. Like a fox. “We have a doctor here...ShinRa scientist who worked under Hojo.” At that name Cloud stiffens, lip peeling back from his teeth. Reno feels a thrill down his spine at the expression, it looks good on him. “He knows Hojo's research, he understands more about Jenova and Sephiroth than any of us. He says he can find a cure with the right ingredients.”  
  
“Ingredients?” Cloud scoffs, drawing a knee up and resting his arm over it.   
  
Reno shrugs one shoulder, “We got him everythin' he needs. Now we wait.”  
  
“Let me go.” Cloud tries, fixing Reno with a stare, “Let me go, Reno.”  
  
Reno shakes his head slowly, “You're stuck here, yo. At least until we get that cure.”  
  
Cloud's hands curl into fists and he looks away, staring at the spot the chain is bolted to the floor. “When I get out of here I'll make you regret kidnapping me.”  
  
Reno smirks, body lax, lazy. “Sounds like fun, yo.” Cloud lifts his left arm and squeezes his right with it. His face crumples and he chokes on a gasp. Reno moves without thinking, drawn towards him like a magnet to metal. “Hey?” He reaches out but Cloud jerks back, teeth gritted painfully and his eyes turning bright, acidic green. Reno freezes, his own eyes widening as he watches Cloud's pupils contract. He sits there, panting, fingers digging into the stigma on his arm. Slowly, warily, Reno retracts his hand and backs off. “Cloud?”   
  
Cloud swallows, dropping his head, “Tell me something, Reno?” He says stiffly, panting and shuddering as sweat breaks out across his skin. “You...” He swallows, “You always ran.” He looks back up and his eyes have returned to their normal baby blue with only a tinge of green swirling in their depths. “Back then, when we were fighting for the planet you always ran whenever we fought. Why?”  
  
Reno relaxes back against the wall a few feet from Cloud. He puts his arms behind his head and looks across the bland room, “I may be a Turk but I know when I can't win a fight, yo. I've never been one for suicide.” He closes his eyes and sighs, his breathing still thick, “It helped that you interested me. I wanted to see what you'd do, yo.”  
  
Cloud eases himself back, staring at the door, “Is that it?”

Reno shrugs. There's a rustle as he stretches his legs out before him with a sigh. “What's with all the questions?”  
  
“Guess you interest me too.” Cloud replies, looking down at the stigma marking his arm. “...why are you so obsessed about getting a cure? I wouldn't have thought that ShinRa would give a damn.”  
  
At that Reno hesitates, his face softening for such a brief second that Cloud almost thinks he's imagined it, “Classified, yo.” He says finally.   
  
“Hm. So there's more to it than some...grand noble purpose?” He laughs under his breath, bitter and weak, “You almost had me, I'll admit.”  
  
“You don't get it.” Reno sighs, closing his eyes. Long limbed, easy. “I-” He hesitates, opening his eyes and chewing on his lip a moment before sitting upright. He sighs, shaking his head, “There was a time when I...didn't care.” He says slowly, frowning down at his hands in his lap, “I didn't care about the damage we did. I just...did a job, ya'know?” He tilts his head towards Cloud who watches him thoughtfully, “Then...when Meteor came me an' Rude, we were at HQ. The whole fucking building shook like it was gonna come crashing down on us. We'd managed to get Rufus out already, he was...” Reno licks his lips, shaking his head again, “It was bad. I thought for sure we'd lose him, yo. Anyway, me an' Rude were in the building but the shakin' got worse. We hid. For a while...but...I wanted to see it. So we went outside.” He takes a breath and looks up at the cobwebby ceiling, “It was...amazin'.” He breathes, “It was comin' right for us. We were gonna die, yo and all I could think was; what the hell've I been _doin_ '? And then the lifestream came. It...exploded out of the earth. Me an' Rude were nearly caught up in it. We watched as the planet saved itself. And then...it was silent.” Reno sighs, shifting restlessly, “I realised we'd been given a second chance, yo.” He meets Cloud's eyes and smiles, “A chance to _change_.”  
  
Cloud shakes his head, looking away, “Sorry if I'm sceptical.” He says, sounding not at all sorry. “So...all this...redemption stuff? It's for Rufus?” He looks up seeing Reno's face close off.  
  
“Why're you so interested?”  
  
“I'm stuck here, right? Might as well ask questions.” Cloud slumps back, head back and eyes closed.  
  
“We're not loyal to ShinRa.” Reno says suddenly, his voice low but it holds weight. Cloud listens, as still as a statue. “Not...the company, anyway.” Reno looks back at the door, “It's him. We're loyal to the president.”   
  
“What did he do to make you so loyal to him?”  
  
Reno rises and brushes himself down, “I'm hungry, yo. You want somethin'?” He ignores Cloud's question, skipping over it as if he'd never spoken.  
  
Cloud frowns and shakes his head. Reno leaves him there, chained to the floor and closes the door behind him. He takes a second, staring across the short walk way to another, empty storage area. He barely registers the sound of feet on the gravel path.  
  
“How is he?” Tseng asks, glancing at the door Reno's slumped against.  
  
“Chatty,” Reno sighs, lifting a hand and running fingers through his hair, he pushes himself away from the door and straightens himself out. “Angry, yo.”  
  
Tseng nods, “To be expected.” He agrees with a hum, “The president wishes to speak with him but perhaps we should wait until he's calmed down.”  
  
“He ain't got his sword. What harm can he do when he's weak as a new born and has no weapons?”  
  
“Maybe none but I refuse to risk the presidents life.”  
  
“Boss?” Reno turns to look out across the valley, looking up the towering cliff face towards the lodge itself, “Why'd you choose me for this job, yo?”  
  
Tseng's quiet for a while, standing in the shadow of the building as he follows Reno's gaze. “Rude lacks the appropriate people skills, Elena is known to hate Cloud and his friends.” He says slowly, returning to look back at Reno, “You're the only one of us with the correct...training.”  
  
Reno sniffs, “Is that the only reason?”  
  
Tseng shrugs, “You're...friendly.”  
  
Reno laughs under his breath, shaking his head. He sighs, straightening out his bloodied suit, “I've been called loads of things in my life, boss, friendly ain't one of 'em.” He says, beginning the trek back up to the lodge. Tseng follows, his stride easy.   
  
“It was a simple choice. Only you could have gotten as close to Cloud as you did. Was I wrong to send you?”  
  
Reno shoves his hands into his pockets as he steps out into the sunlight and tips his head back. Clouds slide overhead, fluffy and gentle against the bright blue backdrop. “Sometimes I think...” He trails off, shaking his head.   
  
“Reno?” Tseng comes up to his side, placing a hand on his arm, “What's wrong?”  
  
Reno looks at him, meeting his gaze, “I don't know, boss. I got a bad feelin'.”  
  
Tseng hums, “So do I.” He admits, voice low as he looks back over his shoulder at the warehouse. “Keeping him so close...it can only invite trouble.”  
  
“But his friends-”  
  
“Not from his friends.” Tseng glances back at him, a frown creasing his eyebrows, “We need to watch him, especially around the doctor. I don't trust him.”  
  
Reno nods, “He's an addict.”  
  
“It's more than that. He's up to something and on top of that there have been signs that someone broke into the storehouse last night. Left in a hurry once Elena heard the alarms.” He sighs, “Perhaps bringing that things head back was not such a good idea.” He whispers, causing Reno to lean even closer. “We found something in the storehouse. Its been trashed, we searched for any signs of who it could be and we found...” Tseng shivers, even the daylight seemed to dim around them, “A single silver hair.”  
  
Reno licks his lips, “Tseng...” He breathes, jaw clenching, “It can't be, yo. He was-”  
  
“Killed. Yes.” Tseng backs off, head shaking and pushing hair back from his shoulder, “We know Rufus has his suspicions about this disease...they could be connected.”  
  
“But if he's back-”  
  
“Tseng!”  
  
Elena's voice cuts them off, Reno steps back, eyes lingering on Tseng's face before they part. Elena runs up to them, panting a little. They wait for her to catch her breath before straightening up, “Rude's back, he managed to hire some people.”  
  
“Good. Tell him I'll hear his report in a moment.”  
  
Elena nods, smiles and runs off again back up the long wooden stairs. Reno watches her go, frowning as his thoughts linger on the possibility Tseng had just suggested.   
  
“Come, Reno. I want you to hear what Rude has to say and you can clean up while we're up there.”  
  
Reno blinks himself out of his daze, “Yeah, sure.” He follows Tseng up the stairs.  
  
XXX  
  
Reno, Tseng, Elena and Rude all return the next day. After helping Rufus down the long stairs they stand in front of the warehouse door, hesitating until suddenly there's a loud cry and a curse from within. Reno frowns, unlocking the door and flinging it open. They see the doctor knelt a few feet from Cloud, holding his hand. His white coat is stained with blood, a smear of it trailing across the floor between them. Cloud sits in the corner, panting, baring bloodied teeth like a wild animal.   
  
“What the-” Reno says as he takes in the weird scene.  
  
“He bit me!” The doctor cries, waving his wounded hand around as proof, “He bit me!”  
  
Reno blinks, turning to Cloud who wipes his mouth on the back of his hand and spits blood to the floor. “Huh. What'd you do to deserve it, yo?” Reno enters, the others following behind.  
  
“I was trying to gather some samples.” The doctor moans, eyeing his hand which sure enough has a chunk taken out of the side, just under the thumb. “I need some of his blood to test.”  
  
“I'm not letting him near me.” Cloud hisses, eyes narrowed as he crouches.   
  
“C'mon Cloud, it's just a bit of blood. Quick pinch, no harm done, yo.” Reno saunters into the room, watching Cloud's shoulders slump.  
  
“I don't care. I might be trapped here but you're gonna have to knock me out if you want me to cooperate.”  
  
Reno notices how Cloud's hands shake as he draws himself in, knees pressed against his chest and forehead lowering. He glances back to Tseng and Rufus who watch the scene with amusement on their faces. He looks young all of a sudden. Reno hesitates, looking back at the doctor.  
  
“Perhaps it is best we wait before drawing any samples from him?” Rufus says finally, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.  
  
“But-”  
  
“Please, Doctor.” Rufus lifts a hand, indicating the door.  
  
The doctor mutters as he rises, gathering his things and stalks out the door. As soon as he's gone Reno and Tseng step back to stand either side of the door. Rufus presses the joy stick of his wheelchair forward and it hums as it moves. “Welcome, Cloud,” He says in greeting, “I'm sure you have a lot of questions.” Cloud says nothing, watching Rufus warily through the fall of his hair. “I apologise for your...living quarters. We had to move quickly and didn't have time to set up something more homely.”  
  
Cloud sighs and closes his eyes, “Whatever.”  
  
“Do you understand why you're here, Cloud?”  
  
“Because you want something to experiment on.”  
  
“Well, not exactly.” Rufus shakes his head. He lifts his hand enough that the sleeve falls back, revealing the darkness spreading across his skin. “As you can see I've found myself in a rather unfortunate situation, along with yourself and thousands of others. My company and I owe the planet a lot,” Cloud scoffs, rolling his eyes but Rufus chooses to ignore him, “I have put all my efforts into finding a cure for the stigma. Believe what you will about my motives but you cannot deny that it's something we need. We could save so many lives, Cloud.”  
  
“You've already got me here, what more do you need?” Cloud lifts his eyes, he looks tired. His skin is too pale, dark shadows haunt his eyes as he studies Rufus.   
  
“It would help if you would cooperate with us.” Rufus says, fingers twitching. “We can give you all the pain medication you need here, you'll have every amenity I have at my disposal. I promise you we're not trying to hurt you.”  
  
“And your promises mean so much,” Cloud says with a voice dripping in sarcasm, “I'm chained to the floor.”  
  
“When we can trust that you will not attempt escape then we can remove the chain.”  
  
Cloud tugs at the chain, causing it to clank loudly, “I'm your prisoner. You don't care. Stop acting like you do. All you want is power,”  
  
“What I want, Cloud, is to see the world healed from this sickness. Isn't it the same for you? Don't you want the smiles to return to the faces of those orphans you live with?” Cloud looks away but doesn't respond. “Perhaps some time to process is in order.” Rufus sighs, turning his chair around, “Tseng, would you bring in a proper bed? I'm sure Cloud would rather that than a simple mattress.”  
  
Tseng bows his head, “Yes sir,” He says quietly, sharing a look with Reno who shrugs. They all make their way out the door, closing and locking it. Rufus sucks in a sharp breath, causing Tseng to move to his side, “Sir...”  
  
Rufus waves him off, “I'm ok.” He insists, “We need to make Cloud cooperate. I have a feeling that time is running out.” Tseng hands him a hyper and Rufus takes it in one shaking hand, he downs it and hands the bottle back. Reno watches him, hands curling into tight fists. “If he doesn't help us willingly we'll have no choice but to take what we need by force. I would much rather avoid that.”  
  
“Sir,” Reno sighs, rubbing at his scarred knuckles, “We can't keep him locked up like a prisoner, yo. He doesn't trust us and he never will.”  
  
Rufus looks up at Reno past his cowl, one single blue eye visible, “What do you suggest? We've tried talking to him and that hasn't worked.”  
  
“I'm suggesting...we let him go.” Reno looks away, frowning up at the sky. A few birds wheel and dive overhead and a soft breeze grabs at his hair, tugging at it playfully.   
  
Rufus sighs, “No.” He says firmly, “The second we let him go we lose him and the doctor says we need his blood.” His wheelchair purrs to life as he steers it back up the path, “You are in charge of him, Reno. Make sure that he doesn't do something stupid.”  
  
Reno watches Rufus go, eyes closing briefly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I have been away playing the Remake. All I will say is; visually stunning! Wow. I will try not to put any spoilers in this fic so don't worry, I'm just trying to reconcile the characters as they are in OG, AC and the Remake. They aren't different enough to make a huge amount of difference but there's facial expressions, personality quirks etc that I'd really like to work in so bare with me. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Reno's sitting at a small table, leaning back with his chair on it's two back legs. He stares up at the ceiling, long fingers curled around a crystal glass. When Tseng joins him he drops back down, legs thudding against the wooden floor.   
  
“It's been three days.” Tseng says, picking up the decanter Reno had been using. He pours out a second glass for himself. Slowly he takes a sip, tongue darting out to lick the last drop from his lower lip.  
  
Sunlight streams in through the window, casting shadows across the floor. Dust motes dance in the beams, settling back as Tseng takes the seat opposite. Reno stares down at his hand as it lays on the untouched wood, polished to a perfect shine. He runs his finger through the damp circle where his glass had sat, smearing liquid in a line.   
  
“Three days and the kid's not said a damn word to me, yo.” Reno rubs at his face with his free hand, “Any trust we had, it's gone.”  
  
“He's always been...prickly.” Tseng says slowly, taking another sip. “The president won't be happy you've been drinking his good bourbon.” He tilts his head, hair sliding over his shoulder, brushing the tops of his arms.  
  
Reno shrugs with one shoulder, “He's forgiven me for worse, yo.” He leans back with a heavy sigh and looks up at the ceiling. His goggles sit wonkily on his forehead, flashing in the light with each breath.  
  
Tseng smiles, a small curve of his lips, “Indeed.”   
  
“There's-” Reno begins, but cuts himself off. He lifts his glass and turns it in his hand, watching the light flash from it's surface, “There's somethin' we can do to make Cloud do what we want.” He finishes, tossing the rest of his drink back and reaching out to refill it. “Those kids he lives with, he'd do anythin' for 'em.”  
  
Tseng arches an eyebrow thoughtfully, “Are you suggesting we threaten the children?” He tilts his head, topping up his glass again.   
  
Reno frowns, “We won't need to, yo. They'd do anythin' for him too...plus one of 'em's got the stigma.”  
  
Tseng's silent for a moment. He turns to look back down the corridor to where the president rests, finally he looks back, “You're having second thoughts?” He asks.  
  
Reno frowns, silent a moment before taking a breath, “I'm always havin' second thoughts, boss.” He says under his breath. Finally he straightens, eyes meeting Tseng's, “But I'm a Turk. I got a job to do.”  
  
“That's good to hear but just remember our main objective is to protect Rufus, no matter the cost.” Tseng finishes his own glass and rises, “Bring in the boy. Leave Marlene, if Barrett found out we touched her we'll have more than just the stigma to deal with.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah. We won' touch a hair on her pretty little head, yo.”

XXX  
  
Reno stands with Rude, hidden just around the corner of the street where Seventh Heaven is. They wait and watch until they see Tifa exit the bar and walk to a truck parked nearby. She climbs inside and starts the engine. As soon as she's gone Reno looks to Rude who nods at him. They make their way down the street, people giving them a wide berth when they spot their suits. When they reach the bar Reno raps his knuckles on it.  
  
“Who is it?” The little girls voice asks through the thick wood.  
  
Reno shares a glance with Rude who shrugs, “Old friends, yo.”  
  
There's some hushed whispers from behind the door before it opens to reveal Marlene. She looks up at them, frowning with her hands on her hips. “What do _you_ want? Tifa's not here.” She says sternly. She spots their suits and balks, taking two rapid steps back with wide eyes.  
  
Rude shifts but says nothing, leaving all the talking to Reno. Reno sighs and crouches to their level, “Actually we wanted to talk to you guys,” He says, smiling from one to the other.  
  
“Daddy says not to trust anyone in a black suit. You're bad men!” Marlene says, pulling on the boys hand and starting to close the door.  
  
“Hey! Wait!” Reno grabs the door, “I'm not gonna hurt you. We just need your help.”  
  
Marlene hesitates, sharing a glance with Denzel, “What do you want?” She asks slowly, still suspicious.  
  
“We need one of ya to come with us, yo. Ya see...” Reno looks from one to the other, “Cloud's sick.”  
  
Marlene's eyes widen, “Sick? Sick like Denzel?”  
  
“Yeah,” Reno nods slowly, “We need your help so we can get him to help us find a cure. He's being kinda stubborn, yo.”  
  
Denzel's eyes move from Reno to Rude and back again, he frowns. Marlene chews on her lip, still uncertain but Denzel moves forward, “I'll do it.” He says, “If...if there's a cure.”  
  
“Well, we don't know that until we can get him to help us, yo. So, will ya come with us?” A soft breeze blows Reno's pony tail, tugging at the spikes of his hair. He offers the kids a small, conspiratorial smile, “Hey, it can be our little secret, yeah? Tifa won' even have ta know.”   
  
Denzel nods but Marlene hesitates, “Denzel...” She warns in a soft voice, backing up. “Maybe we should wait for Tifa to come home.”  
  
“It's ok, we'll have you back before you know it, yo. Cloud just needs a little convincing, he won' listen to us but maybe he'll listen to you, kid.”  
  
Denzel lets go of her hand, “I'm not a kid!” He says, “How's Cloud supposed to help with finding a cure, anyways?”   
  
Reno hesitates, glancing up at Rude who merely shrugs and folds his arms. Reno sighs, “He's got somethin' we need.” He says carefully, “He won' give it to us.”  
  
Denzel looks at the Turks and finally steps forward. Marlene grabs his wrist, trying to tug him back. “Denzel! Denzel no!”  
  
“Let go.” Denzel yanks his hand free and steps out of the door, “I'll be fine, Marlene.” He insists irritably, “I'm older than you. You stay here.”  
  
“But-”  
  
“Tell Tifa where I am.”  
  
“ _Denzel_!”  
  
“It's ok, kid. We'll bring him home in one piece, I promise, yo.” Reno assures her, rising and putting a firm hand on Denzel's shoulder.   
  
XXX

Reno opens the door to the store house, Rude taking up a space against the wall as they enter. “Yo,” Reno greets, scanning the room. Cloud now has a proper bed which he lies on, one arm covering his eyes and the other hand resting on his belly. Cloud doesn't move or acknowledge Reno as he moves further into the room. “Brought you a visitor.” Reno turns and ushers Denzel in.  
  
“Cloud?!” Denzel rushes forward, halting at the foot of the bed as Cloud sits upright.  
  
“Denzel...” Cloud's eyes narrow as he turns his glare on Reno, “No. No you _can't_ -” He moves, rising to stand, posture tense. “Take him back home.” The chain rattles as he shifts, hands clenched into fists.  
  
“Cloud I'm here because I want to be.” Denzel says, glancing behind him at the Turks before looking back at his guardian. “They said...they said you were sick.”  
  
Cloud blinks, looking down at the boy, “I...”  
  
“Is it the stigma?” Denzel reaches out, touching Cloud's arm.  
  
“Denzel, you shouldn't be here.” Cloud says weakly, swaying a little as he crouches, “You need to go back to the bar. Go home.” He trails off, blinking as his face drains of what little colour it had. He grits his teeth and steadies himself on the bed.  
  
Denzel shakes his head, “No. They said I could help. I wanna help. Don't you want a cure, Cloud? You can give them what they need to make one. Please.”  
  
Something in Cloud's eyes shifts, he closes them and sighs long and slow, “There is no cure.” He says quietly, “I've been looking...everyone has been.”  
  
“There is. They said they can make a cure but only if you help them.” Denzel pushes, eyes wide and eager. His face innocent.

  
Cloud scans his expression before rising again, leaning against the wall as if his legs were about to give out. He sighs, a small, humourless laugh escaping his lips, “This is low, even for you.” He mutters, half to himself before fixing his gaze on Reno, “Fine. Take him home and we have a deal.”  
  
Reno grins, “That's all we want, yo. Hey kid, come on, I'm sure Tifa's missin' you.”   
  
Denzel hesitates, “Why can't I stay here?” He asks, looking between the adults.  
  
“Denzel,”  
  
“No. I wanna stay.”  
  
“This isn't a place for kids.” Cloud says weakly, lowering himself back to the bed with a sigh, “I need you to go back to the bar and look after Marlene and Tifa for me, ok?”  
  
Denzel presses his mouth into a firm line before finally nodding, “Fine. If you do find a cure, come home.”  
  
Cloud manages a small smile, “I promise. Tell Tifa...” He pauses and closes his eyes, “Tell her I'm fine and not to worry, ok?” Denzel nods reluctantly.  
  
“C'mon kid, Rude'll take you to the main lodge an' get you some candy, yo.” Reno says with a smile and Denzel's eyes light up.  
  
“You got candy?” He says, smiling back at Cloud, “I'll see you at home, right?”  
  
Cloud nods once and Rude escorts the boy out. As soon as he's gone Cloud's smile falls, “Hurt him and I'll break out of here, find my sword and end all of you.” He promises.  
  
“I know.” Reno shrugs, “We won't hurt him. He'll soon be home safe, yo.”  
  
Cloud falls back onto the bed, “Guess you'd better bring that asshole doctor back then, huh?”  
  
Reno smirks, “Don't worry, we won't leave him alone with you again. He needs both his hands to make that cure.”  
  
XXX  
  
Reno leans back against the wall and watches the doctor set his kit down. Cloud sits on the bed, eyes turning away.   
  
“I will need to take some blood samples for now. I may need more extensive tests later on.” The doctor explains, his shaking hands reaching into the kit to remove some needles and empty vials. Reno shifts, causing the doctor to send him a fleeting, nervous look. He turns back to his work and takes hold of Cloud's arm, “You have such delicate skin.” He says, seemingly to himself. It makes Cloud frown but he doesn't move. The doctor runs his fingers over the inside of Cloud's arm, searching for a vein.   
  
“Just...get it over with.” Cloud says through gritted teeth.  
  
The doctor sighs before finally preparing the area. When the needle goes in Cloud's fingers twitch and he closes his eyes. For all that Reno hates the doctor he has to admit he's quick and efficient. As soon as he's done he sets the vials of blood into his case and closes it with a snap. Cloud draws his arm into his chest and sits there, Reno can see how much he's shaking.  
  
“Thank you, I'll make some progress with this.” The doctor says, eyeing Cloud hungrily. “You're the one who defeated Sephiroth, right?” Cloud doesn't react but the doctor continues anyway, “Amazing. Hojo was always so proud of his creations, as if Sephiroth was some sort of immortal god...but you proved everyone wrong. You...a failed experiment. Hojo's arrogance made him blind to what he created in you.” The doctor smiles to himself, eyes misting over, “The things I could do if I had a proper lab-”  
  
“That's enough, yo.” Reno steps in, moving to the doctor and putting a hand on his shoulder, “Get out and do what we're payin' ya for.”  
  
The doctor jerks back, fear widening his eyes before he hangs his head, “Yes. I'm sorry, I get carried away.”  
  
“Yeah well, go carry yourself away to your lab an' start on that cure.” Reno nods to the door and watches the doctor leave. “Ugh, guy gives me the creeps, yo.” He turns to see Cloud huddled on his bed, back to the room. “You need anythin'?” Cloud shakes his head, hands curling into fists. Reno sighs and moves to a nearby cupboard, he opens the door and removes two bottles. He hands one to Cloud, “Here, take this.” He says and takes a seat by the bed. He tears off the cap of the other bottle and takes a sip, “You wan' a drink?” He offers the bottle to Cloud, shaking it enticingly. “Finest Wutaiian rice wine, yo. Packs a punch.” Cloud eyes the bottle for a second before reaching for it, he takes it off Reno and takes a deep swig. Reno's lips curl into a small smile. “Tseng's got taste, I'll give him that. He won' even notice it's gone.” He takes the bottle back as Cloud downs the hyper and then slumps back onto the bed.   
  
“How old are you?” Cloud says finally, after several long minutes of silence.  
  
Reno shifts, stretching his neck out as he gets comfy on the floor, “What's it to you?” He takes another drink and hands the bottle back to Cloud.   
  
“Nothing.” Cloud replies, turning his head to watch Reno from under his lashes. “Curious.”  
  
“I'm...” Reno takes a breath and shakes his head, “I don't know, yo.” He takes the bottle back and takes his turn. He frowns, counting in his head a moment, “Twenty...seven? Maybe?” He shrugs, “You're twenty three.”   
  
Cloud blinks at him, “Huh.” He looks back up at the ceiling, “Guess I am.”  
  
Reno laughs, “Had to memorise your file, after you and Zack escaped Nibelheim.”  
  
“It's...weird.” Cloud sighs, drinking again and handing the bottle back. “You know more about me than I do.”  
  
“Yeah.” Reno picks at the label on the bottle, frowning at it for a moment. He gets his nail underneath the label and peels it back, tearing off the corner. Outside birds sing, the sun sinks lower behind the mountains, plunging them into twilight. “When I was a kid I met Aerith.” He's surprised to find himself saying, slouching further against the wall as he remembers. “Don' think she remembered me, honestly. I was just a scrawny kid back then, didn' dye my hair until later. I was movin' some goods for one of the Don's...before Corneo got a decent foothold in Sector Six. Got caught though. So I ran. I was fast, yo. It got me a rep, got me a lotta work. So I ditched the load and ran when security found me, finally found myself outside that church. I went in, thinkin' no one would find me. I closed the doors and turned and...there was this little girl. She was small and well dressed, kinda stands out under the city, ya know?” He sighs and hands Cloud the bottle back when he's done. Cloud drinks and contemplates the ceiling. “We sort'a just...froze. I could hear the grunts shoutin', running around outside. So I made to go hide behind the pulpit.” Reno smiles to himself, putting his arms behind his head, “When the security tried getting' in she grabbed my hand, pulled me through the back doors and up the stairs. Didn' have no choice but to follow, yo. We ran and hid among the rubble, listening to the security shouting and cursing me out.”  
  
“She must've been young then.” Cloud says slowly, passing the bottle back to Reno who finishes it off.  
  
“Yeah. She was, man.” Reno sighs, “I realised she was way too young to be out there alone, so I told her I'd take her back to her ma. She said to me she didn't wanna go back, that she felt safe in the church with the flowers. We hung out a while, she tended the flowers while I watched. She was weird, kinda quiet and bossy, yo. It was nearly dark when the doors opened again an' Tseng walked through them.” Reno smiles to himself, eyes closing, “He'd been lookin' for her, she'd run off when she'd seen him comin'. I knew what he was, smart black suit an' all. I though' I was gonna die, yo. He made me wait while he took Aerith home, it's how I learned her name. When he came back I was sat on the floor...I was dirty, homeless, had holes in my shoes an'...he takes me in. Tells me can give me three square meals a day, yo. That's like...heaven to an undercity kid, ya know?” Reno sighs, “Later he told me he'd heard of me through gossip, so he'd started keepin' an eye out. Watching me.”  
  
Reno turns to find Cloud staring at him curiously, the mako in his eyes burning green fire. “She never mentioned she'd met you before.”  
  
Reno shrugged, “Like I said, I didn' look the same. Maybe she forgot.”  
  
There's another pause before Cloud rose and slid to the floor to sit beside Reno, he leaned his head back and stared up at the ceiling. “Your eyes...” He mutters, almost delirious. He reaches out, fingers tracing Reno's cheek bone, “They're...nice. Kinda green but natural.”  
  
Reno smiles, “Turks don' need no mako or enhancements.” Cloud nods before leaning in, his breath hot and alcohol scented as he sighs against Reno's mouth. His finger tips linger, gloves creaking as Reno hesitates. “Cloud...I...”  
  
“Shh.” Cloud hushes him and presses their mouths together. “Stop talking. I don't wanna think anymore.”  
  
Reno gives in, slipping all too easily into their usual pattern.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure I like this chapter...I may come back to it tomorrow since it IS nearly 1.30 am where I am so don't have the energy to do it. Things will be explained in more depth in the next chapter, I tried to do it in this one but it broke the flow of the chapter and I didn't want that. Anyway, please enjoy and thank you to everyone who is reading, kudosing and commenting; I appreciate you all.

Reno returns late that night, leaving Cloud to sleep off the booze. He steps quietly in through the door of the lodge, shutting it behind him as he slinks through the living room.   
  
“Where've you been?”   
  
Reno freezes, turning and offering Rude a guilty smile, “Hey, partner, didn't see you there.”  
  
Rude grunts, moving forward, “You still fucking Cloud?”  
  
“What's it to you, yo?” Reno shifted his weight onto one hip, arms folding over his chest. “Didn't think I needed permission.”  
  
“That's not it.” Rude sighs, rubbing at his bald head, “You know the rules.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah; don't get attached.” Reno waves Rude off, turning away to go down the hall to the bedrooms. “I don't need to be reminded, Rude.”  
  
Rude shakes his head, “Thought maybe you need it.”  
  
“Don't think too much, yo, might give yourself an aneurysm.” Reno sent him a glare over his shoulder, pausing at their bedroom door, “You wanna make yourself useful? Get me a coffee man.”  
  
“Get it your damn self.” Rude pushed him in the shoulder, sliding past him and opening the door, “Take a shower, you stink of sex.”  
  
Reno grumbles as he follows his partner into the room and strips, dumping his clothes onto a small chair in the room. Rude goes to his bed and throws himself down on it, grabbing a book and turning his bedside lamp on. Rude takes off his glasses and sets them neatly aside. Reno hesitates, glancing at his partner, “Hey, Rude...”  
  
“What?” Rude looks over at him, standing beside the bathroom door with one hand on the wall.  
  
“I...” Reno shakes his head, “Doesn't matter, yo.”  
  
Rude shrugs, returning to his book as Reno enters the bathroom.  
  
The next day, when Rude wakes it's to find Reno already gone. He sighs, rising and going to the bathroom to wash. When he's done his partner still hasn't returned.  
  
Tseng brings his coffee into his office, scrolling through his phone and checking his emails. He sets down his mug and looks up, seeing Reno at his desk using his laptop. “Reno...”  
  
Reno glances up at him through his hair, undone and falling around his shoulders, “Hey boss, sorry. Needed to look at somethin'.”  
  
“What is it?” Tseng rounds his desk and peers at the screen over Reno's shoulder. On it is one of many old ShinRa staff files. It shows two pictures, a man and a woman. “Do you know them?”  
  
Reno shakes his head slowly, “They had a son.” He mutters, leaning back in Tseng's leather chair and causing it to creak in protest.   
  
“And why does this concern you?”   
  
Reno stares at the photos, “They lived in Sector 7.” He says finally, heaving a sigh and shoving hair from his face. “They didn't get out in time.” He indicates the red on their files; deceased.   
  
“Ah.” Tseng shakes his head, “Why are you torturing yourself with this? Many people lost their lives that day and every day since.”  
  
“Their kid came here yesterday, yo. Rude gave him some candy...he's livin' with Cloud and Tifa.” Reno glares at the screen before turning it off and rising, “I...I'm gonna go. Need to check on Cloud.”  
  
“Good idea.” Tseng watches Reno as he stalks to the door, “It's best not to dwell on the past too much, we can't change what happened but we _can_ change how we approach the future.”  
  
Reno doesn't stop, he opens the door and leaves Tseng to his morning coffee. Tseng sits down and turns his laptop back on, leaning back in his chair as the images of the husband and wife reappear. He drums his gloved fingers on the desk top, frowning to himself. Slowly his eyes drift across the room to the now slightly wilted flower in a tiny vase, it sits on the window sill, open to the early morning sun. Tseng takes a breath, tearing his eyes away and straightening up. He picks up his coffee and takes a sip, drawing a stack of papers closer to him. He picks up his pen and starts to read.  
  
XXX

  
As Reno descends the stairs he can hear people down below, shouting and calling to one another. The mercenaries Rude had hired were rough around the edges but they knew what they were doing. He lifts his hand and waves to Elena who nods back as she starts handing out the days orders, then he turns down the path to the store house they were keeping Cloud. He stuffs his hands into his pockets, feeling the sun on his face and the cool breeze blowing through his hair. He had tied it back before leaving and put his goggles back in their place. He reaches Cloud's door and knocks, “Good mornin' sunshine,” He sings, pushing the door open and slipping through the gap. “How you feelin', yo?”  
  
Cloud sighs, “What is it now?”  
  
“Just makin' sure you're doin' ok. Maybe I can get some books or somethin' in here, yo. Feels kinda empty and you must bored.” Reno glances around the bare room thoughtfully, “Maybe a tv.”  
  
“Whatever.” Cloud rolls over, back to the room.  
  
“Hey, only tryin' to help baby.” Reno slides over to the bed and looks down at Cloud who frowns, turning to look up at him, “Love the bed head, yo.” He reaches out but Cloud grabs his wrist, yanking him close. Reno stumbles, catching his knees on the bed and finds himself almost sat in Cloud's lap. He smirks, “Oh, you up for another round, yo?”  
  
“No. I just want you to shut your god damned mouth.” Cloud hisses, leaning in and pressing their lips together.  
  
The kiss is rough, more teeth than tongue but Reno moans into it. He pushes forward, too eager and Cloud backs off. “Aww, man c'mon...” Reno groans but he feels Cloud's sudden tension and opens his eyes. Cloud jerks back, hands going to his head, a cry slipping from his lips. He falls back, face screwed up in agony. “Hey...hey Cloud...” Reno moves over him, trying to grab his hands. “Cloud, yo...what's goin' on? You in pain?” Cloud writhes on the bed, kicking the covers off. Reno tries frantically to get his attention but suddenly the whole building is rocked by an explosion. Reno flinches but keeps a hold of Cloud. He can hear screaming, people rushing back and forth. He feels his phone vibrate in his pocket and uses his free hand to dig it out, “Hey, Rude...what the hell's goin' on man?!”  
  
 _“We're evacuating. The doctor did something stupid, Reno, we gotta go. Choppers ready, Tseng's grabbing the President. Hurry.”  
  
_ “What about Cloud?” Reno frowns, feeling Cloud still beneath him. His chest heaves, eyes screwed up tightly and teeth bared as he grabs at his hair.   
  
_“No choice, we gotta go. Get your ass up here, it's too dangerous-”  
  
_ Reno feels something then. He freezes. Eyes rising slowly as a shadow falls across the sunlight coming through the door. His phone falls from numb fingers and he turns just in time to use his EMR to block a powerful blow that almost knocks the wind out of him. He gasps, eyes wide as he finds himself staring up into a familiar pair of cat-like eyes. “Oh...shit.”  
  
“You're in my way.” Sephiroth's cool baritone voice sends a tremor down Reno's spine. He grunts as Sephiroth puts more pressure against his sword, “Move.”  
  
Reno disengages, rolling out from under him and onto the floor. He rises quickly and backs off, EMR in hand. Sephiroth straightens and turns to him, looking him up and down slowly. Reno watches helplessly as Sephiroth takes one step in his direction, boot landing on his phone and crushing it. Cutting off Rude's increasingly desperate voice. Reno backs up until he has the wall at his back, “How...the fuck?” He pants, staring as horror slowly creeps over him.  
  
Sephiroth smirks, still moving forward until he's in Reno's space, “You found something important for me.” He says, lips curling into a small smile, “Two things, in fact.” He glances back over his shoulder at Cloud before turning back to Reno, “Never thought I would have to thank a Turk for my resurrection.”  
  
Reno swallows, “Don't get the wrong idea, yo...we were only lookin' for a cure.”  
  
“It doesn't matter.” Sephiroth reaches out, shoving his hand inside Reno's jacket and removing a small pocket knife. He looks at it, turning it in his hand. Light glints off of it's polished wooden handle.  
  
“Hey, that's mine-” Reno's breath is suddenly cut off as Sephiroth closes a hand around his throat. He feels those fingers tighten. Crushing. His hand flies up, curling around Sephiroth's gloved wrist but it's no use.   
  
“W-Wait...” Cloud's voice is strained, there's a thud as he drops to the floor. Reno can see him moving in his peripheral vision, “Don't.”   
  
Sephiroth hums curiously, loosening his grip and turning to look down at Cloud, “What is this?” He asks, releasing Reno so he drops to the floor. Reno kneels there a moment, coughing and retching as he rubs at his bruised throat. His EMR scrapes at the floor as he shifts, lifting his head in time to see Sephiroth dig his boot sharply into Cloud's side and roll him over. Cloud grunts at the impact, wincing but doesn't seem able to get up to defend himself. Slowly Reno rises, adjusting his grip on his weapon and eyes fixed on Sephiroth's back.  
  
XXX  
  
“Where's Reno?!” Tseng shouts from where he's half hanging out of the helicopter. Rude comes to a stop and looks back down the building into the valley where even now warehouses burn.   
  
“Shit.” Rude looks back up at Tseng, “He's still down there with Cloud!” He shouts.  
  
Tseng frowns, glancing back into the chopper to Rufus, “We can't stay.” He says.  
  
“You go. I'll go back-”  
  
“No. We can't afford to lose two of you.” Tseng demands, frowning, his hair being tossed around in the gusts from the propellers. “Get in. We're going.”  
  
“Protect the President, I'll go back for him.” Rude turns on his heel and charges back down the steps.  
  
“ _Rude_!” Tseng feels a hand on his arm and turns back to look at Rufus. “Sir...”  
  
“Go.” Rufus says firmly, “Elena can get me to safety.”  
  
Tseng nods and leaps back onto the lodge's rooftop. He backs away as the helicopter rises, making sure they at least make it beyond the cliffs. As soon as they're out of sight he reaches behind him and pulls out his gun. He pauses when he hears yet another explosion coming from below, he watches fire and debris rise into the air and scatter. Cursing under his breath he continues down the long stair way.  
  
XXX  
  
The room's grown almost too hot as the fires spread outside. Reno can feel sweat slide down his face, soaking into the collar of his shirt. He dodges a blow from Masamune that would've taken his head off, spinning aside to aim a strike at Sephiroth's sword arm. Sephiroth moves, too fast. He ducks, moving around the small room and tries to find an opening but there's a reason Sephiroth was known as the best of the best. Hojo's pet project. A monster from the womb. Reno curses under his breath, a stream of swear words escaping as he blocks another slash aimed at his chest. He's pushed back into the wall, breath leaving his lungs in a gust. Sephiroth leans in, closer and closer as Reno presses back against his sword with both hands on his EMR.   
  
“Reno of the Turks.” Sephiroth muses, “I remember you.”  
  
Reno grits his teeth, pushing Sephiroth back with all his strength, “You better fuckin' do.” He grunts, more sweat sticking his hair to his face.   
  
Sephiroth laughs before using his free arm to slam Reno back into the wall, knocking his head into it. Reno's teeth catch his tongue, the taste of metal spilling into his mouth. “This has been fun but I'm here for one reason only. I would thank you for looking after my puppet for me but I know you weren't able to keep your hands to yourself.”  
  
Reno grins, revealing bloodied teeth, “Oh yeah, he tasted real good yo.”  
  
“I'm glad. Let it be your last memory before you join the lifestream.”   
  
Reno doesn't have time to react when something hard and sharp and cold slides into his stomach. His eyes widen, lips parting on a gasp. Agony tears through his body, spreading through him like poison. He opens his mouth to speak, blinking into Sephiroth's cold eyes but only blood trickles down his chin. Sephiroth withdraws, allowing Reno to sink down the wall. Reno grabs at his stomach, holding it as crimson stains his shirt. He gasps again, vision greying around the edges, “F-fuck...fuck you...” He says thickly through a mouthful of blood. He falls sideways, unable to catch himself as Sephiroth drops his own bloodied knife onto him.  
  
Reno watches, hands clutching the wound in his stomach, as Sephiroth bends and grabs Cloud by the hair. Masamune sings as he brings it down on the chain and shatters it before throwing Cloud to the floor. Reno's vision darkens. Voices begin to fade in and out as he tries to draw in breath. He reaches beneath his torn jacket, cold fingers closing around metal. Slowly he withdraws his gun, pain slicing through his wounded stomach. He spits blood to the floor and sucks in as much air as possible as he pushes himself off of the floor and to his knees. He sways there a moment, the world blurring and turning grey. Sephiroth turns, watching a moment and Reno brings up the gun in one shaking hand. He offers the man another bloody grin and pulls the trigger. The explosion is too loud in the small, super heated space. Reno's ears ring. Sephiroth looks down at the single hole in his abdomen. He lifts his head again and smiles. Reno thinks, blearily, that it had once been a nice smile. Kind of smug but honest, somehow. Then his fingers lose their grip on his gun and he falls back to the floor. The pain slowly dulls until his hands fall limp to the floor and Sephiroth drags Cloud from the room.  
  
XXX  
  
Tseng comes to a halt at the foot of the stairs. The door to Cloud's quarters bursts open, flying across the path. Tseng runs forward but stops again as Sephiroth steps out into the sunlight. In his arms Cloud lies, slumped and unconscious. Tseng raises his weapon. Sephiroth watches him a moment, head tilted like a curious cat before adjusting his grip on Cloud and slinging him over his shoulder like he weighs nothing. Masamune materialises in his free hand as he begins to move forward.  
  
“Where's Reno?” Tseng asks as Sephiroth approaches.  
  
Sephiroth looks back over to the store house, “He tried to stop me from taking back what is mine.” He says smoothly, lifting his sword. Tseng moves back cautiously, making Sephiroth smirk. “You've tasted the edge of my blade before.” He takes another step closer, when Tseng moves back again he feels the edge of the bottom stairs dig into his ankles. The point of Sephiroth's sword jabs into the skin of his chest, piercing through his shirt. Tseng keeps his guard up, hands never wavering.  
  
“We won't stop you from leaving.” Tseng says, “But leave Cloud here.”  
  
“I'm afraid I cannot do that.” Sephiroth presses harder, Tseng feels the sting and holds his breath. After a second Sephiroth withdraws and steps back, “Your friend's probably joined the lifestream by now, no one could survive for long after the wounds I dealt him.” He adjusts Cloud on his shoulder and a single wing bursts from his back. Tseng lowers his gun and watches as he leaps into the air.   
  
He takes a second to press his fingers to the tiny pin prick, red bleeds through his shirt. A tiny dot. Tseng glances back up before turning back to the store house. Rude soon joins him, dragging Cloud's massive sword behind him, he drops it by the stairs and nods to Tseng. Together they both enter the room.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm late. I know and I'm sorry, the n button on my laptop is dodgy as hell, so if any n's are missing that's why and I must have missed them during editing. *sigh
> 
> Anyway, hope this chapter is ok. I wanted to round it off better but I am so busy irl I couldn't do it how I wished. So ayway, this is what I have. Thank you to everyone who is commenting/kudosing I really do appreciate it.
> 
> Also, warning for Turks doing some Turk-ing. Violence. It's not as detailed as I normally write but as I said; time restraints.

  
  
Tseng stands at a window, gazing out across a wide road made of mostly compacted dirt. The hospital is small but well stocked by the WRO. He stands with his hands behind his back, eyes fixed on a building surrounded by cranes and trucks. Outside people call to one another, the cranes swinging heavy metal beams above people's heads. All of them blissfully unaware of the evil that has been released into their world.  
  
The waiting room holds only a few chairs and even fewer people.   
  
“How is he?”  
  
Tseng turns slightly, early morning sunlight shining onto his face, “He's still in the operating room, sir.”  
  
Rufus follows Tseng's gaze to the construction site, fingers tapping against the arm of his wheelchair, “He's back then.” Tseng nods, “We don't have the power to take him out.”  
  
“There's only one person who has that power now, sir,”  
  
Rufus sighs softly, “And he's slowly dying, possibly even already dead.”  
  
“Director,”   
  
Tseng sees Rude enter the building, followed by Elena. He approaches, drawing close and leaning in, “We tracked the doctor to a small up and coming estate on the outskirts of the city.” Elena whispers.  
  
Tseng glances to Rufus who nods his head, “Let's go.”  
  
“But sir, the president-” Rude begins.  
  
“Will be fine surrounded by the best hospital and security staff the WRO posses.” Rufus finishes for him, “Go. See to your business, if anything happens I'll call you.”  
  
Tseng lifts his hand and tugs at the cuff of his glove, “We won't be long, sir.”  
  
Rufus nods and the Turks leave together.  
  
XXX  
  
“Is this the building?” Tseng finds himself sitting in a battered old truck outside what constitutes a hotel in post-meteor Edge city. It's held together by mostly luck, its roof is little more than corrugated metal piece laid haphazardly over one another. Rude nods and opens his door, climbing out with Elena, Tseng checks his phone before exiting. The car door slams shut behind him as they proceed to the rusted old door and enter the building.   
  
“Hello, how can I-” The man sitting behind the low counter begins but as soon as he looks up from his desk his jaw drops. “I...I-uh...”   
  
“Elena?” Tseng asks,  
  
“Room 11, second floor.” Elena replies and they stride past the receptionist without even a backward glance. The man remains quiet, picking up his discarded book and burying his face behind it.   
  
They take the small stair case up to the second floor and find room 11, Tseng takes a second and glances back at his Turks, “Take my lead.”  
  
Rude nods and when Tseng steps back he boots the door in, the old wood splintering and flying inwards. The startled squawk is the only sound the doctor gets out before Rude strides inside and grabs him by the collar of his dirty shirt. He throws him up against the wall and pins him there. Tseng enters the room calmly behind him while Elena follows. “Good morning Doctor.” Tseng says smoothly. He looks around the room spotting the bag half packed, showcasing a hefty supply of modified hypers. “My apologies, it seems we interrupted something.” He moves over to the bag and peers inside.  
  
The doctor struggles uselessly against Rude's grip, “Please...p-please...I didn't-didn't do anything! I didn't know!”  
  
Tseng pauses, taking in the rest of the room before finally looking at the doctor. “Were you leaving? I thought that we had a deal, Doctor. Was I mistaken?” He moves closer, watching the doctor squirm. Eyes darting frantically around the room, desperate for a way out.  
  
“N-No...no. I-I was just...after...after the attack I thought-”  
  
“You thought, what?” Tseng lifts his hand, “That we were dead? That you were free to steal from us?” He tilts his head.  
  
“I'm sorry! I-I'll...I'll come back. I swear I just-” He was cut off by Rude's hand tightening in the collar of his shirt.   
  
“Regretfully, Doctor, the President has decided to end your contract with us. He would have come himself to issue your dismissal but...” Tseng sighs, “One of our own was gravely injured.”  
  
The doctors eyes widen, terror freezing him. “E-End...my c-contract?” He whispers, shaking violently.  
  
“Rude.” Tseng nods his head and Rude drops him to the floor, moving back and folding his hands before him. He stands there, shadow falling across the doctor as he sits on his knees, shock holding him rooted to the spot. Tseng moves to the bed once again, turning his back on the doctor and picking up a phone that had been dropped carelessly onto the bed spread. He flips it open and starts going through the messages.   
  
“Hey! That's my-” The doctor's voice ends in a muffled grunt as Rude's boot crushes his fingers.  
  
Tseng holds the phone to his ear and listens in silence, after a moment he shuts the phone. “Doctor, did you know what happens to people who betray us?” He says finally, turning around and staring down at the doctor at his feet.  
  
“I-I...I swear...I didn't...please...”  
  
Tseng ignores him. He takes a step forward, slowly moving around the doctor in a circle like a predator. “I thought we had given you all the warnings you would need to follow orders, I thought that we had an agreement.”  
  
“We did! We did! I didn't mean to! They didn't give me a choice.”  
  
“The President, in his wisdom, understands that all of us are human. We are bound to make mistakes.” Tseng says quietly, “He would have been sympathetic to your cause had you come to us sooner.” He drops the phone in front of the doctor who watches numbly as Tseng's foot descends and smashes it. “However, you didn't. You gave away our location. You gave them...dangerous information. For that, you must pay.” Tseng leans down and looks the doctor in the eyes. “We gave you a chance and you threw it away, in the process one of my best men is in hospital.” He grabs a hank of the doctor's hair and yanks his head back, “ _That_...is unforgivable, doctor.”  
  
Rude turns and gestures to Elena who hesitates, “Director-”  
  
“Wait outside the door.” Tseng orders, rising calmly and adjusting his gloves, “I'll do this myself.”  
  
Rude takes Elena's upper arm and steers her out the door, she wavers before sighing and allowing herself to be taken outside the room. Elena takes up a spot just outside the door and sighs, crossing her arms over her chest. “We could've helped.” She mutters, kicking absently at the corner of an ancient looking rug, she pouts a little as the doctor makes a strangled sound from within.  
  
Rude shrugs, “Sometimes the boss wants to get his own hands dirty,” He says, looking towards the low stairs case down the hall. “Let him have his fun, there'll be plenty more for us another time.”  
  
“Ugh, I know that. I just...I'm frustrated. I want revenge too.”  
  
“We're all worried about Reno but there's not much we can do right now. The President'll contact us if anything changes.”  
  
Behind them the doctor screams, they hear something break from downstairs. Rude shakes his head slowly. “Go down and check on the owner of this place.” He tells Elena, “He might need some...reassurance.”  
  
Elena pushes herself away from the wall she was propping up and grumbles but follows the hallway and leaves Rude to stand guard. Some time passes, Rude waits it out and listens to the Doctor scream and sob and apologise. All sounds he has grown somewhat accustomed to in his time as a Turk.   
  
“Who were you in contact with?” Tseng asks, casually wiping blood off his gloves with a cloth he had got from the bathroom. “The messages left to you were from more than one person.”  
  
The doctor lies in a heap on the floor, face bruised, bloodied. “I...I don't know. I n-never saw anyone...”  
  
Tseng huffs, “We know you did, doctor. All you have to do is tell us the truth and this will end.”  
  
The doctor moans, shaking his head as Tseng approaches, “Please...”  
  
“Who was it? At least give us a description if you don't have names. I promise, this will be far easier with your cooperation.”  
  
The doctor slowly lifts his head, drool and blood sliding from between swollen lips, “They...they were boys. Couldn't be much older than 18.” He coughs, shuddering.  
  
“Good.” Tseng smiles, a cold expression that never reaches his eyes.   
  
“T-the one in charge...they...they called him Kadaj. The other two were Yazoo and Loz.”  
  
“And they wanted Jenova.” Tseng finishes, “For what purpose?”  
  
“I didn't know. Until...until they came for the sample. When I gave it to the kid...he...he sort of...” The doctor frowns, “He opened it and absorbed it's contents. He _became_ Sephiroth...r-right before my very eyes.”  
  
Tseng lets out a slow breath, “I see.” He rises and reaches into his jacket, “Thank you for your information, Doctor.” He pulls out a gun.  
  
“No. No. Oh god....please...please I gave you what you wanted!”  
  
“The President thanks you for your cooperation.”   
  
Rude hears the final shot and stretches his neck out as Tseng steps out of the room, stowing away his weapon. “Clean up the mess.” Tseng tells him, “Where's Elena?”  
  
“I sent her downstairs to keep an eye on the owner.”  
  
“Good idea.” Tseng glances back into the room with a frown, “Were you listening?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“If there were three of them that means two are still out there. Has anyone reported any sighting of Sephiroth?”  
  
“Last we heard he was headed up North.”  
  
Tseng's eyebrow rises, “The crater?”  
  
Rude shrugs, “As good a guess as any, director.”  
  
“Well, as long as he's far away from Rufus...and us.” Tseng shakes his head slowly.  
  
“But he's got Cloud...he's our only hope. If Sephiroth intends to keep his old plan of destroying the world, well, we'll go with it.”  
  
Tseng curls his hands into fists, “I know.”  
  
Rude falls silent, frowning, “Anything we can do?”  
  
“We go back to the hospital and check in with Rufus.” Tseng tells him, “After that we can plan our next move.”  
  
Rude nods and Tseng makes his way back down the stairs while Rude goes into the room to start clean up. He finds Elena standing by the front desk while the man behind it cowers, pale faced and shaking. Tseng moves to his colleagues side and offers the man a smile, he reaches into his jacket and withdraws something. Carefully he places it onto the counter and lifts a single finger to his lips. The man gapes down at the stack of cash, eyes wide and blinking slowly. Tseng takes Elena's arm and guides her out the door.  
  
XXX  
  
When they return to the hospital it's to find a small group of people in the waiting room, gathered around a door. Tseng recognises them instantly. “Damn it.” He hisses, striding forward, “Miss Lockheart,” He says loudly enough to cause the woman to turn around.  
  
Tifa glares at him, hands curled into fists, “Where is he?! What did you do with him?”  
  
“Perhaps we could take this somewhere more-”  
  
“I'm not going anywhere!” Tifa spits, moving forward but Elena reaches into her jacket for a weapon. Tseng lifts his hand and she freezes.   
  
“We are in a hospital, I'm sure there are better places to have this discussion.” Tseng offers calmly, waving a hand towards a nearby room, “I have some business to attend to but-”  
  
“Tseng,”   
  
Tseng looks over Tifa's shoulder to Rufus, “Sir?”  
  
“They've taken him to another room.” Rufus says, “The operation was successful.”  
  
  
Something tight inside Tseng's chest relaxes, he takes a breath and recomposes, “Miss Lockheart, please,” He gestures and she frowns, glancing between them.  
  
“I assure you we have no intention of causing any harm to you,” Rufus says smoothly, turning his chair around, “We're here to see someone.”  
  
Tifa, eyes narrowing, nods. Tseng moves past her and follows Rufus into a small, private room. He sees the bed and the splash of familiar red hair, the thing in his chest loosens further as he hears the familiar, regular beep of a heart monitor.  
  
“Is that...Reno?” Tifa's eyes widen and she glances between the Turks and Rufus, “What happened? What's going on?”  
  
Rufus waves his hand and returns to looking at Reno, Tseng sighs and begins the story. He omits some incriminating details but gives her the basics of the truth. He watches her frown deepen before her eyebrows rise in shock when he tells her that Sephiroth returned.   
  
“It...can't be. He's dead!” She looks around the room as if expecting to see him leap out of the wall.  
  
“We witnessed his return with our own eyes.” Tseng says, “He took out Reno and took Cloud.”  
  
Tifa takes a shaky breath, hand rising to her chest as she contemplates their situation. Finally she takes a breath, worry twisting her mouth; “Where is he? Do you know?”  
  
Tseng glances to his president who nods, “Last we heard he was taking Cloud up north.”  
  
Tifa shivers, biting her lower lip, “We have to help him. Cloud beat him last time, he can do it again. I know he can.”  
  
“I admire your faith, Miss Lockheart.” Rufus says quietly, “However, when Sephiroth took Cloud from us he was sick. He's in no condition to fight.”  
  
“Then I'll call the others. We'll do it together.” Tifa removes a phone from her pocket.  
  
“Can you?” Rufus says, turning away from Reno's bed and coming forward. He looks up at her, a single blue eye visible beneath his cowl. “You're strong, that I do not doubt...but Sephiroth...well, he's not human. To fight a monster of that calibre you need a weapon of greater or equal strength. That weapon was Cloud. With him in the state he's in, we don't stand a chance. Our only hope now is to retrieve Cloud and get him back into some sort of fighting condition.”  
  
“You said you don't know where he is.” Tifa says, shaking her head, “Our friends have connections we can-”  
  
“City of the Ancients.” A raspy, weak voice cuts Tifa off. Everyone turns to the hospital bed where Reno lies, eyes open and watching them.   
  
“Reno!” Rufus moves forward but Tifa gets there faster.  
  
“How do you know?” She asks, desperation written across her face.  
  
“It's...what he said before-” Reno winces, a grimace pulling at his mouth as he puts a hand over his wounded stomach, “Before he took Cloud. I h-heard him...shit.” He takes a breath and reopens his eyes, “Son of a bitch got me good.”   
  
“Don't move too much, you'll reopen your wounds.” Tseng says, moving around the bed to the other side.  
  
Reno manages a small, humourless smile, “Yeah. Thanks boss.”   
  
“Why would he go all the way to the City of the Ancients?” Tifa shakes her head, “It was...” She takes a sharp breath, “It was where he killed her.”  
  
“It holds great significance to Cloud.” Rufus tilts his head, “It makes sense. His entire goal seems to surround your friend, he's always been obsessed with him. To an unhealthy degree.”  
  
“Rude retrieved his sword from Healen before the warehouses burned to the ground.” Tseng says, “Perhaps if we can return it to him he will stand a better chance.”  
  
“A small chance is better than none.” Rufus agrees.  
  
“Boss, let me-”  
  
“ _No_.” Tseng cuts Reno off sharply, frowning, “You've only just woken up. It'd be suicide.”  
  
Reno presses his lips together and glares up at the ceiling, “I'm not gonna jus' sit here, yo.”  
  
“You will do exactly what the doctor orders you to do, Reno.” Rufus demands, voice low but firm. “I will not lose my men.”  
  
Reno closes his eyes but doesn't refute that statement.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long time and I'm sorry for that. Hope this chapter makes up for it. Some warning, there are hints of Rufus/Reno but it's not a main pairing so I haven't tagged it as such. They're not technically 'together' but there is a kind of...tension there I guess. I can't help myself, I love all kinds of pairings involving the Turks.

  
Tifa finally leaves, likely to rally her friends to Cloud's aid. Rufus sits in his wheelchair beside Reno's bed, his eyes on some distant point while he drums his fingers on the arm of his seat. Tseng watches and waits, standing near the door. Reno stares up at the ceiling, bed bound and useless. Boredom creeps in and he starts to become restless.  
  
“It's...interesting.” Rufus says finally, breaking the silence and causing all eyes to snap in his direction.  
  
“Sir?” Tseng asks.  
  
“Hm, I was just thinking of the connection between Cloud and Sephiroth.” Rufus waves his hand vaguely, “Haven't you ever wondered how it is Sephiroth doesn't lose himself in the lifestream? It's written that when we die our souls are consumed, we lose our identities and become one with the planet, yes?” He glances to Tseng who shrugs, “Then why hasn't Sephiroth? We know now that despite what Gast may have thought at first, Jenova was no ancient. Only the ancients can keep themselves separate.”  
  
“He's a powerful being, perhaps that's all there is to it?” Tseng offers, moving forward to the opposite side of Reno's bed. Reno tries to sit up but Tseng pushes him gently back down.  
  
“I wonder...” Rufus stares out the window, watching the buildings opposite being erected. He comes back to himself after a few moments and looks up at Tseng, “What if his ability to remain whole in the lifestream is intricately tied to Cloud Strife?”  
  
“In what way, yo?” Reno shakes his head, “How's Cloud supposed to do that?”  
  
“Cloud's doing it unconsciously,” Rufus says, “Sephiroth's using him, his memories and feelings to hold himself together far longer than anyone should be able to. The reason he's not been torn apart after death is because _Cloud_ is keeping him alive. Out of everyone left alive today Cloud had the most intimate relationship with him, it's only natural that his anger and pain further fuel Sephiroth's strength.”  
  
Tseng shifts, fingers brushing the blanket covering Reno's chest, “That leaves only one conclusion, sir.” He says carefully, “Get rid of Cloud and we sever Sephiroth's connection to this world and he will at last disperse.”  
  
Rufus inclines his head, “Yes.” he smiles, “Though I doubt his friends will take kindly to that suggestion.”  
  
“You want Cloud dead?” Reno stares up at the ceiling, frowning. “You'd risk destroying the only weapon we have that even stands any chance of takin' Sephiroth out on...what? A guess?”  
  
“It is a risk,” Rufus admits, resting his elbow on the arm of his chair and cupping his chin, “But a calculated one. The possible benefits far outweigh any negative results.”  
  
“Cut the tether that binds him to this world and he will fade away.” Tseng muses aloud as he moves to the window to look out, “It's a good plan.”  
  
“It's stupid is what it is, yo.” Reno mutters, running his hands through his hair and glaring at Tseng's back.  
  
“What do you suggest then?” Rufus asks, arching an eyebrow.  
  
“We take Cloud his sword and help him send Sephiroth back where he came from, yo.” Reno looks to his president, “You wanted a better Shinra.” He says quietly, shifting so that he's leaning closer and his eyes fixed on Rufus'. “I swore I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure that happens, just...let me do it. Killing Cloud isn't the way to do this.”  
  
Rufus searches Reno's face, eyes narrowing, “You seem very attached to Cloud.”  
  
Reno shakes his head, “This has nothing to do with Cloud, yo.”  
  
“Reno,” Tseng warns softly, standing by the window with his back to the room.  
  
“I'm serious. Cloud...he's pretty. He's a good fuck. But...this...this isn't about him.”  
  
“Your own guilt is clouding your judgement,” Tseng says, turning around finally to look Reno in the eyes. “Take a step back, look at it from a distance. This is about far more than one man, if we can ensure Sephiroth can never return to this world again we would be doing the planet a favour. With his threat finally nullified everyone will finally be safe.”  
  
Reno falls back against the pillow, one arm rising to cover his eyes, “You really believe it's gonna be that simple, yo?”  
  
“No. Sephiroth will protect Cloud as much as he would himself.” Tseng agrees, leaning back against the window and putting his hands on the sill, “We would need to be careful. We don't want an all out fight with him, we'd lose.”  
  
Reno rubs at his wounded stomach, feeling the bandages beneath his finger tips. Rufus sighs quietly, “Give him a few days to settle in. Lull him into a false sense of security.” He leans back in his chair, “Then we take Cloud out when he's least expecting it, don't give him the chance to fight back.”  
  
“Can we requisition some weapons from the WRO?” Tseng asks, “Obviously we don't tell Reeve what we're planning on using them for.”  
  
“He'll want a reason.”  
  
Tseng tilts his head thoughtfully for a moment, “Bandits.” He says, shrugging, “Since Meteor Fall there's been an upsurge in bandit activity in the waste lands, it's as good a reason as any.”  
  
“Very good,” Rufus nods, looking to Reno who remains uncharacteristically still. “I'll remain here, you take Elena and go to the WRO.”  
  
“Yes sir,” Tseng nods his head and leaves. The door swings quietly shut behind him.  
  
“You should get some sleep, Reno.” Rufus says quietly, fingers running across the edge of the stiff blanket.  
  
“I'm fine,” Reno replies, finally letting his arm fall from covering his face. He turns to watch Rufus, “You ok?” He asks. His hand sliding across the blankets to touch the back of Rufus', the one covered in mottled darkness.  
  
Rufus smiles, a strange, stiff sort of expression, “Fine.” He says, “I didn't manage to get myself gutted.”  
  
Reno grins weakly, “All part of the job description, yo.”  
  
“I don't recall writing that into your contract.” Rufus laughs under his breath. His blond hair shimmers as the sun sets outside, Reno curls his fingers around Rufus' and holds on.  
  
“You're makin' a mistake.” He mutters, dropping his gaze. “This...isn't what you wanted when you told us you were gonna do better.”  
  
“It's not your job to question me, Reno.” Rufus replies, tension in his voice.  
  
“You made it my job, yo.” Reno tightens his grip on Rufus' hand and looks at him, his expression tired and defeated. “You made me promise. I'm gonna keep it.”  
  
“Not at the expense of your life.” Rufus' voice drops to a low whisper, barely audible except to Reno. He glares at their entangled fingers but doesn't pull away, “You, Tseng, Elena and Rude...you're...” He cuts himself off and sighs, shaking his head. “You're mine, Reno and I will not allow anyone else to take you from me.”  
  
“And I won't let anyone else take me from you.” Reno promises, gaze firm and unwavering. “But this...this is stupid. I can't let you make this mistake.”  
  
“That isn't your choice. All you have to do is stay here and heal.”  
  


“I just can't let this happen-”  
  
“Reno.” Rufus' voice holds a warning and it forces Reno to snap his mouth shut. He closes his eyes and sighs heavily. He hears the rustle of cloth and feels heat against his skin, slowly he opens his eyes again and looks up into Rufus' face as he leans over him. “Who are you loyal to?”  
  
“You.” Reno replies quietly but firmly. Rufus' nose brushes his, his breath hot against his face.  
  
“Remember that,” Rufus lifts his hand, brushing the back of it down Reno's cheek, “I won't have torn loyalties, Reno. Never forget who you belong to.”  
  
Reno's eyes flutter closed and he lets out his held breath, “Never.”  
  
XXX  
  
“You're sick.”  
  
“I'm dying.” Cloud muttered. The hyper taking rapid affect, he sat on the edge of the bed in the dingy hotel room. The building, made of scraps of old Midgar, creaked around them. Reno cocked his hip, observing as Cloud fell back against the sheets.  
  
“You don't-” Reno cut himself off before he could take that thought further, biting his own tongue.  
  
Cloud put an arm over his eyes, blocking out the sunset that crept in through the cracked window. “I know it. _You_ know it. Why bother trying to hide from it?”  
  
Reno moved closer, feet silent on the floorboards. He put one knee on the bed, causing it to dip. Cloud moved his arm just enough to let one vivid blue eye peer out from beneath it. His lips parted, tongue darting out to wet them. Reno followed the movement with his own eyes, his mouth parting in response. He was fascinated. Hypnotised. Cloud closed his eyes, shattering the spell. A small smile curled Cloud's lips, a short laugh muffled into his arm, “Don't look at me like that.”  
  
“Like what?” Reno moved in closer, “You're pretty.” He flicked a strand of blond hair from Cloud's cheek. “Like a doll.”  
  
“That's what _he_ always said.” Cloud whispered, his voice slurring a little as the hyper took hold. “Doll. Puppet...” His voice hitched and he pulled his arm away from his eyes, he reached out and tangled his hand into Reno's shirt, yanking him forward. Reno lost his balance and almost went sprawling over him. He caught himself on one hand, hovering over Cloud and staring down into his flushed face. Cloud blinked up at him slowly, green swirling in his eyes. His pupils narrowed and, just for a second, Reno balked. He pulled himself away, his own eyes wide.  
  
“What-” Reno swallowed.  
  
“What's wrong?” Cloud frowned a little.  
  
“I don't...” Reno shook his head, Cloud's eyes were the same as ever. A SOLDIER's eyes. “Ah never mind, yo.” He sighed and pushed the fear down. He had a job to do. He grabbed Cloud's face, fingers tracing his jaw and leaned in. Their lips met and Reno felt Cloud's mouth open for him.  
  
XXX  
  
Reno opened his eyes, finding himself staring up at the white tiled ceiling of his hospital room. He groaned, wincing as the stitches in his stomach stretched. He lifted a hand, putting it over his eyes and took a moment to gather himself.

He remembered the first time he'd encountered Cloud. Back in the Church, surrounded by golden light and motes of dust swirling around them. He remembered Cloud, standing, sword in hand. He remembered afterwards, going back to HQ, hurting, bones aching and pride wounded. He'd gone back and dug up everything he could find on Cloud Strife, he'd come up with nothing. It wasn't until much later that the truth had been revealed, he had been the kid that they'd pulled from the reactor in Nibelheim. The one mission Reno had walked away from, disgust clogging his throat along with the remnants of smoke and the cloying, sweet smell of burning flesh. A pile of bodies, a ruined town and Hojo's laughter crawling over Reno's skin like snakes.  
  
That Cloud was the second subject they were supposed to apprehend hadn't occurred to Reno, not until much later when Tseng had given him a thick paper file with Top Secret printed across it. He'd devoured the whole thing, sat in his room, hunched over it with a warming beer at his left knee.  
  
_Cloud Strife. Born in Nibelheim. Joined Shinra aged fourteen. Mother; Claudia Strife. No siblings. Died aged sixteen. Killed in Action.  
  
Subject C. Sixteen years old. Blond, male, 173cm.  
  
_The facts were there but Reno's eyes were continuously drawn to the photographs attached. Cloud, dressed in blue, eyes the colour of the sky in the summer wide and lips a little parted as if in surprise. Blond hair dishevelled and a little pink flush on his rounded cheeks. And then Cloud, caught at a distance with a high definition camera, standing outside the ruins of Mako Reactor one dressed in the black of SOLDIER and frowning up at the burning remnants of the building. Cloud wielding a sword that Reno had seen once before.  
  
_Cloud Strife, twenty-one years old. Mercenary. Terrorist. Priority Level 1. Dangerous, approach with caution.  
  
_Cloud's pretty, doll-like face had grabbed at him. It'd drawn him in. He became obsessed.  
  
Reno sighed, moving his arm and ignoring the twinge in his gut as he forced himself into a sitting position. He looked around the room and saw a chair close by, currently unoccupied. Reno grunted, hissing air through his teeth as he slid his legs over the edge of the bed. He looked to the side where a jug of water and a glass sat on the bedside table. There was a book there, open on a page. He peered at it. There was a pen and a used pad of paper nearby, Reno snatched them up and scrawled a brief note. He put it on his pillow and made himself stand. He found a set of old jeans, a hole in the knee and a well-worn t-shirt. He put them on then put his old boots on. He found his uniform, holding the jacket in his hands, thumb running slowly over it's leather accents. He folded it and put it on the bed with the note. Reno grabbed his EMR and stuffed it into his back pocket before making for the window. He pulled it open, the drop wasn't huge but if he fell he would likely break a leg. Reno climbed out, balancing on the ledge. Slowly, carefully, he climbed down.  
  
XXX  
  
“Breakfast!” A nurse called as she opened the door to the room, she wheeled in a cart and halted. The room was empty. She turned on her heel, running into the hall.  
  
“He's gone, sir.”  
  
Rufus sat in his wheelchair, fingers curling into fists on the arm rests. “Where?” He demanded, causing the doctor breaking the news to wince.  
  
“We..we don't know. The window was open...we guess he left that way.”  
  
“Damn it, Reno.” Rufus hissed under his breath, “Tseng?”  
  
“Sir?”  
  
“Find out where he's gone and bring him back.”  
  
Tseng bowed, “Rude's searching downtown as we speak, sir but if Reno doesn't want to be found he won't be.” _  
  
_“If he's going after Cloud he'll get himself killed.” Rufus muttered, looking down at his hands. Tseng remained silent, frowning into the distance. Rufus stared at the note Reno had left behind, crumpled in his lap. One word in a messy scrawl; _sorry._  
  
“Reno understands that better than any of us.” Tseng said finally, hands curling into fists where they rested at the base of his spine behind his back.  
  
“Why would he do this? He's not normally so reckless.”  
  
Tseng stared out the window, the sound of traffic and construction muffled, “He's not doing it for himself. He's doing it for you.”  
  
“Me?” Rufus arched an eyebrow, scoffing, “Why? I gave him explicit instructions not to go.”  
  
Tseng shook his head, “Ever since the plate fell, Reno's taken full responsibility. He blames himself for it and it twisted him up. It broke him. He's been working ever since to find his own redemption, he found it through you. By working to help you change Shinra he thinks he can ease his own burden, so by stopping you from killing Cloud and rescuing him instead he's washing some small amount of blood from his hands.”  
  
Rufus stares down at the note, “Find him and stop him.” He said under his breath, “He's not going to die because of me. Bring him home.”  
  
Tseng closed his eyes, “Yes Mr President.”


End file.
